Valentine's Day
by PrismaBat
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, but it will turn out to be a day of torment for Ivonne, as she comes to terms with her feelings for Ollie. But how can she tell him the truth: that her working with him was all part of a plan to destroy him and DOOM? And Terrence, another possum also has his eyes on her. Note: This was written on Valentine's 2012 hence the title.
1. Chapter 1 - Heartbreak

**Another Story, longer one too, featuring Ollie and Ivonne as well as some other Ocs of mine. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Tuff or any of its characters, just my Ocs.**

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It was the middle of the day. The sun was out in full shine as there wasn't a single cloud in the clear blue sky. It was comfortably warm, not too hot, a perfect day. Many of the citizens of Petropolis took advantage of the warmth to be outside, and what spot could be more perfect than the city park? The place was bustling with activity.

People were riding bikes, taking leisurely strolls, or just relaxing on the grass enjoying the perfect weather. One such citizen, a sienna brown female opossum in a green top and pants had decided as well to spend the day at the park. It was Ivonne, member of an underground crime syndicate rarely known to most of Petropolis. Even T.U.F.F., the Turbo Undercover Fighting Force had little info on it…if any of it was even true.

Ivonne was sitting on a park bench reading a book, or at least trying to. Every so often she was distracted by couples walking by, hand in hand. Sometimes she'd see a boy with his arm around his lady love, staring at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, while the girl would smile back in a shy and sometimes flirtatious way. That wasn't so unusual. A park is a popular place for sweethearts, anyone could tell you that. What was different was that there were more couples than usual out today, because today was Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day: a day for sweethearts and married couples, a day to celebrate the love you and your special someone share, a day of flowers, chocolates, and romantic talk. Ivonne sighed and attempted once more to read her book. Valentine's Day was really no big deal to her. How could it be? She never had good luck with men…especially those who worked alongside her with her boss, mostly because they were only attracted to her looks. That's all she was, eye candy, something pretty to look at. She didn't need that. She was resourceful and self-sufficient. She didn't need anyone. At least that's was what she kept telling herself.

Ivonne leaned back on the bench and sighed in frustration. Why did she come to the park today anyway? She never came outside on Valentine's Day. She was usually at work or at home. So why change that? Why now? Then a small, faint voice seemed to whisper from the back of her mind:

_ You know why_.

"No," she said, "That has nothing to do with this."

_ It's because you're waiting_.

"I'm not waiting for anything."

_ You're waiting to see if he'll come_.

"I just felt like being outside today."

_ You know he likes coming here. You're hoping that he'll come today. That he'll see you. That's why you brought that book. So he wouldn't know that you were waiting_.

"I felt like reading."

_ Because if he knew you were waiting, then he would know_.

"I have nothing to hide."

_ He would know how you really feel_.

She slammed the book down on the bench.

"I don't feel anything!" She exclaimed a bit loudly, "And I don't care if he does show up, I…"

"Um, Ivonne?"

Ivonne turned to find herself facing a tall, well dressed male opossum. It was Ollie an agent of D.O.O.M, the Diabolical Order Of Mayhem, the main cause of crime in Petropolis. They had both been working together for quite some time, because of a suggestion by her boss for his agents to work with D.O.O.M., a suggestion that was merely a cover up for him to take over Petropolis and to destroy T.U.F.F. and D.O.O.M. in the process. Ivonne wasn't happy at first, but after some time, she had to admit that Ollie wasn't such a bad guy. The more time passed, the better she got to know him. Then to her shock and dismay, she found herself falling for him.

Ivonne felt her face grow hot, embarrassed that he'd caught her talking to herself. Or was it because she was looking straight into those gorgeous blue eyes of his? Lately, her emotions always seemed to go crazy when she was around him. Flustered, she sat back down and smiled awkwardly, trying to look casual.

"I'm fine!" She quickly replied, hoping she sounded normal, "Just thinking out loud!"

Ollie stared at her skeptically.

"Um…okay," he replied, sounding concerned.

Both smiled, and then began to glance around them, neither knowing what to say after the awkward moment. Finally Ivonne spoke, desperate to break the silence.

"What um, what are you doing here?" She asked.

Ollie began to shuffle his feet nervously.

"Um…well," he replied, obviously hesitant to answer the question. "I was just... you know, going for a stroll…and um…"

He gave a quick nod to the bench.

"Mind if I have a seat?"

Ivonne could tell something was on Ollie's mind. A small smile formed on her as she made room for him to sit. She actually found it kind of cute when he acted nervous like that. He was silent for a bit when he noticed she was staring at him expectantly, still waiting for an answer. He broke into a silly grin.

"So, how are you?" He asked.

"Fine," said Ivonne, seeing that he was trying to stall. He wasn't going to pull that on her. She brought up the question again.

"So, why are you here?"

"Oh, right," said Ollie, his voice sounding a bit shaky, "Well, um, actually I was looking for you."

Ivonne felt her heart leap. She wished her emotions didn't react that way around him, she might give herself away. Lately, she had been finding it harder and harder to control them. Still, she tried to sound calm.

"Oh?" She simply replied, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yes, I…" Ollie was about to explain, when he stopped, his ears twitching. To Ivonne's confusion, he turned and shouted at a bush that was beside the bench.

"FRANCISCO, GET OUT OF HERE!"

Ivonne's jerked back in surprise as the head of an alligator popped out of the foliage. It was Francisco, another D.O.O.M. agent and friend of Ollie's, though it didn't seem that way at the moment as he shouted back defensively.

"I AIN'T HERE! I MEAN, I'M NOT SPYING, I MEAN…AW DANG IT!"

He leaped out of the bush and high tailed it through the confused passerby, quickly disappearing in the crowd.

"YOU ARE DEAD WHEN I GET BACK TO HEADQUARTERS, DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Ollie shouted after him.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Ollie sat back down next to a weirded out Ivonne. Quickly fixing his lapels, Ollie suddenly snapped back into "dapper gentleman" mode and smiled passively at Ivonne.

"So where were we?" He asked, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Ivonne just stared at him in disbelief, a bit disturbed by the whole incident. Then again, it wasn't the first time she had witnessed one of D.O.O.M's weird antics. She brushed the whole thing off and answered his question.

"You were telling me why you were looking for me." She leaned back and folded her arms, giving Ollie a sly like smile.

"So why were you?" She asked.

Before he could answer another interruption came in the form of a playful giggle. Both turned to see a handsome fox and a lovely vixen walk by, his arm around her shoulder. He held her close to him, smiling fondly at her. She smiled back, her hand clutching a beautiful red rose. Both were lost in each other gazes, oblivious to everyone else around them. Ollie and Ivonne silently watched them go by. Without thinking, Ivonne gave a small empty sigh. Ollie turned to her.

"It's… Valentine's Day, you know," he stated, sounding hesitant again. Ivonne stared ahead.

"You don't say," she said apathetically.

"You don't seem too thrilled," Ollie observed. Ivonne shrugged.

"Meh, Valentine's was never much of a big deal to me," she explained, "I usually spent it at home or at work. It was really just like any other day for me." Ollie placed his hands in his suit pockets, still seemingly stalling about something.

"That's a shame," he said softly. Ivonne just sighed.

"You'd feel that way too if all people ever saw when they looked at you was a pretty face," she said quietly. Ollie glance at the ground, not sure how to respond to the statement.

"Um, I'm sorry," he finally said. Ivonne folded her arms.

"You don't have to be sympathetic towards me," she said, defensively.

"What?" Ollie said, surprised, "No, I'm not, I mean, I'm just…trying to be polite." She turned toward him.

"Why were you looking for me?" She demanded, "And no stalling this time."

Ollie stared at her nervously, knowing by her tone that she expected an answer. Taking a deep breath, as if gathering courage, he sat up straight and reached into his suit. Ivonne's eyes slowly widened as he brought forth a long stemmed red rose, like the one the vixen had. He held it out to Ivonne, a timid smile on his face.

"Happy Valentine's Day?" He said timidly. Ivonne stared at the rose, as if trying to make out what it was. She gave a sad sigh.

"Ollie…" she began. He held up his hand.

"I know, I know what you said when we started working," he stated, "But…you deserved something nice for today. I mean, I know we're not "sweethearts", heh, but, we are partners, and I enjoy working with you."

Ivonne looked at Ollie. Outside she looked confused, but inside she was delighted. _He got me something_, she thought excitedly, _I had my doubts, but he did_. She slowly took the rose from his hand, studying it inquisitively while gently stroking its petals. When they first started working together, if he had tried something like this, she would've flung the rose back in his face. But now…it was different, very different. Ollie started to squirm.

"Well, say something," he pleaded. To his surprise and delight, she smiled. It was a small smile, but a very sweet one.

"Thank you, Ollie," she said, "That was very thoughtful." She looked right at him, still smiling.

"You know, I enjoy working with you too," she admitted. Ollie's blue eyes brightened.

"Really!?" His voice squeaked in delight.

She nodded. "You're not such a bad guy. A bit strange at times, but pretty decent, for a guy who works at D.O.O.M. Actually, out of all of them, you have the most common sense...even if you do participate in the stupid things Snaptrap does." Ollie's face colored slightly at the compliment. It was nice that someone noticed that. Ivonne continued.

"Also, when we started, you respected my wishes about…well not trying to get "romantic" with me, making advances…you know trying anything "funny". I have to admit, I was surprised. With a few of the guys I work with, it would've fallen on deaf ears."

"Well, like you said, I respected your wishes," Ollie agreed, "That and I knew you were capable of doing me great bodily harm." Ivonne giggled and then suddenly gave him a hard punch in the arm.

"Ow!" He cried, "What the heck was that for!? I thought you were done with the whole 'hitting Ollie' thing!"

"That was to let you know that it doesn't mean I didn't notice all those attempts you made to impress me," Ivonne answered almost scoldingly, "And I didn't hit you that hard."

"I…I wasn't trying to impress you!" Ollie argued weakly. He rubbed his arm.

"And yes, you did," he muttered off to the side.

Ivonne gave a smug smile." Oh please," she said with an playful laugh, "You couldn't have been more obvious if you straight up told me."

Ollie folded his arms stubbornly. "Alright, alright, maybe I did try too hard," he admitted grudgingly, "I admit it was rather stupid of me to think you wouldn't notice." He saw her raising an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, I was being an idiot! Happy now!?" He exclaimed, sulking in defeat. To his surprise, Ivonne began to laugh. Not a mocking laugh, but a happy amused one. He stared at her in wonder, and then smiled. There was something about her laugh that always seemed to lift his spirits. Possibly because when their partnership started, it was something he rarely, if ever, heard her do, at least not in a genuine way.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You," she replied.

"Me?"

"You're very …amusing at times".

"Well, I'm glad I'm good for something," Ollie muttered, "Actually, now that I think about it, you were the one doing the majority of the work on our assignments, not to mention getting us both out of trouble many times. You pulled my hairless abnormally curly tail out of the fire a couple of times."

He sulked a little bit. "You know…I don't think you really needed me at all," he said almost gloomily, "You could've done all those assignments easily by yourself."

Ivonne frowned a bit when she heard this. _No_, she thought, _I do need you. More than you know_. But she just gave a sympathetic smile.

"Hey," she said, "You pulled your own weight, contributed some clever ideas, and you make a mean cup of tea. Trust me; you're not as useless as you think."

Ollie gave her a grateful smile that warmed Ivonne's heart. All the effort to keep her emotions at bay, completely disappeared. Flustered, she brushed away a lock of hair from her face.

"Um, thanks for the rose," she said softly.

"You're welcome."

Ivonne stared into his blue eyes. He stared back, smiling. She could feel her heartbeat quickening. She started to smile. Suddenly, she wanted to be closer to him, to rest her head on his shoulder, to feel his arm around her. She started to scoot in closer, leaning towards him. He started to do the same. Ivonne was about to get closer to him when suddenly an image flashed into her mind. It was a face, a cruel fanged face. The face of her boss, glaring disapprovingly at her from her subconscious…then she remembered. She remembered the plan, the reason why she was working with Ollie in the first place. What would happen to him if her boss suspected that she had feelings for Ollie…and what would happen to her. Ivonne jerked back as her mind snapped back to reality. Ollie jerked back also, noticing the sudden fear on her face.

"Ivonne?" he asked, concerned.

"No," she whispered. She gave the rose back to him, "I'm sorry."

Ollie looked at the rose in his hand, then back at her, a look of sad confusion on his face. Ivonne could feel the pain welling up in her heart. She shook her head.

"I can't," she said, "My boss won't like this, not when you're not part of our organization."

Ollie just blinked. "Well, I know I'm not," he said, his voice sounding a bit hurt, "But…once we finally take care of T.U.F.F., surely it won't matter?"

Ivonne bit her lip in dismay. How could she tell him? That it wouldn't make any difference because part of the real plan was to destroy him along with his D.O.O.M. friends? Ollie started to sense that something wasn't right.

"Ivonne what's wrong?" He asked, suspicious, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Nothing is wrong!" Ivonne stated loudly, "And if there was something wrong, I would tell you! But there's nothing wrong, so there's nothing to tell you! Because everything…is…fine!"

Ollie was more confused than ever. He held the rose out to her. "Then why…" he started to ask.

Ivonne stood up, backing away from him. "I don't want your stupid rose," she said harshly, regretting the words as soon as they left her mouth, "Just leave me alone."

Ollie stood up, looking crestfallen. "But…but I thought…you said…"

"I said leave me alone!" Ivonne cried angrily.

"Hey!" Shouted a voice from behind her.

Ivonne turned around to find a dark grey robust male opossum, with an extraordinarily long tail, staring at them. It was Terrence Whiptail, another top agent of her boss' organization. An agent who also harbored feelings for Ivonne. He glared at Ollie as he came up to Ivonne.

"This punk giving you trouble, Ivonne?" He growled. Ollie just glared right back at him.

"Terrence!" Ivonne exclaimed in surprise, "Um, no! No, I was just leaving." Terrence continued to glare at Ollie, unconvinced.

"What are you doing here?" Ivonne asked, trying to keep trouble from brewing.

Terrence turned to her, while also keeping a wary eye on Ollie. "I've been looking for you," he answered, he then lowered his voice to a whisper, "The boss wants to speak with you, ASAP. For some reason your communicator was turned off."

Ivonne felt her heart skip a beat. She inwardly cursed herself for leaving her communicator off. She turned to Ollie, who was still standing there, watching them suspiciously.

"I have to go, Ollie," she said, reverting back to the old stoic manner she had when he first met her.

Ollie watched helplessly as Ivonne and Terrence walked off, side by side. As they left, Terrence glanced back at Ollie, giving him a smug look. Ollie glared at him in frustration…then sighed hopelessly as he stared glumly at the rose in his hand. He had a feeling he was outmatched in this romantic competition. What he didn't notice was Ivonne glancing back at him, her heart almost breaking as she saw the forlorn figure of the British opossum staring sadly at the rose…her rose. Ivonne looked straight ahead, filled with bitterness and regret.

_ I hate Valentine's Day_.

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**Ouch, poor Ollie. If only he knew the real reason for Ivonne's behavior. And poor Ivonne, she's in quite the dilemma. There's still more to come. Let me know what you think so far!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Ava

**Ollie, DOOM, and TUFF Puppy belong to Butch Hartman. But all the other characters here are mine.**

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Terrence laughed as he and Ivonne walked out of the park.

"I can't believe that geek thinks he has a chance with you! What a dork! You were smart to turn him down."

Ivonne tried her best to laugh along, though she didn't find any of this a bit funny. Actually, she didn't tell Terrence what exactly went on. He just thought that Ollie was just trying to ask her out on a date.

"Heh, yeah," she said half heartedly, "The nerve of him."

"I mean, seriously, Ivonne," Terrence continued, "The guy's a D.O.O.M. agent. He should know a first rate lady criminal agent like you is way out of his league. Actually, any woman would be out of his league. I mean, I look at that guy and see the words, 'bachelor for life'."

Ivonne shrugged, a bit annoyed by Terrence's harsh words toward Ollie. She had worked with Terrence many times before and actually had a professional respect towards him, seeing him as a great partner to work with: smart, a good fighter, and level headed. Once she started working with Ollie though, her opinion of him began to change. She began to see what kind of agent Terrence really was…a smooth talking jerk. Terrence had had a crush on her for some time, but she was able to just shrug him off and keep him at bay. Lately, however, he had been making a lot of advances towards her, most likely because of Ollie. He had some suspicions at times about Ivonne and the British opossum, but so far she was always able to convince him otherwise. Still, he never wasted a moment to put the D.O.O.M. agent down, or remind Ivonne how "lame" he was.

"He's not so bad, actually," Ivonne replied, trying not to sound too defensive, "He was just giving me the rose to show that he enjoyed working with me, that's all. I just didn't want to give him any ideas."

_Yeah, right_, she heard her mind say.

"He's just...being nice," she concluded.

Terrence shook his head.

"Come on, Ivonne," he said skeptically, "A rose on Valentine's Day, is more than just being nice. He was just trying to be all smooth. Heh! Good luck with that. Those guys at D.O.O.M. are just dumb wannabes. I still can't believe we have to work with em.' I especially feel sorry for you having to work with that English guy."

"His name's Ollie," she said, a bit strongly, "And it's not so terrible working with him. He's not as dumb as you think. He's sensible, clever, and believe it or not, he can handle himself pretty well in a fight. Actually, if Snaptrap listened to him once in a while, D.O.O.M. might actually accomplish something."

She turned to look at Terrence only to notice that he was looking at her with an air of suspicion.

"You almost sound like you're defending him," he said accusingly.

Ivonne could feel an alarm going off in her head as Terrence scratched the back of his head in deep thought.

"Now that I think about it," he said, "When I saw you guys, you looked like you were about to kiss. In fact you look like you _wanted_ to kiss him."

Ivonne knew she had to act fast. Thinking quickly, she put on an air of indifference and eyed Terrence coolly.

"Of course I did, genius," she said with a smirk, "I had to be convincing. I was playing him, till he got a little too close for comfort, then I knocked him flat on his tail. You heard me shouting at him. Later, I'm gonna act all sweet to him and apologize. I gotta keep him guessing, playing hard to get. That way he's too busy focused on me to notice anything suspicious. Once the plan's set into motion, I drop him like an old shoe."

Terrence raised one eyebrow skeptically. Ivonne held her breath…then quietly breathed a sigh of relief as he burst out laughing.

"You're a cruel one, Ivonne!" He exclaimed slapping his knee, "That poor sap's gonna be crushed when he finds out the truth."

He then looked around to make sure that no one was within hearing range, and then whispered darkly:

"Course, by then it'll be too late."

He chuckled smugly. Ivonne grinned and laughed along, but it was halfhearted. The truth was she was worried and ashamed.

Because Terrence was right.

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Ivonne made her way through the labyrinth of steel corridors that made up her boss' organization. She had on her spy suit and was on her to way to meet her boss…something she never looked forward to. Two steel panel doors opened as she entered another hallway, when a female monitor lizard,with a long black ponytail walked up beside her.

"Got some business today, huh?" she said almost jokingly.

"Hey, Ava (pronounced Aye-va)," Ivonne replied, giving her a side glance, "Yeah, sounds pretty serious too."

"Are they ever anything else?" Ava said with a humorless chuckle.

Ava was Ivonne's best friend. The two had joined the organization at the same time, undergoing the same training classes as well as going on some assignments together. They soon became the best of friends. They were an unusual team, Ivonne being serious, calm, and reserved while Ava was light hearted and always ready to have fun. Despite how she acted, Ava was a genius when it came to technology, which was why she was one of the organization's top sources of intel, given her knack with hacking into computers. Though their personalities were copmpletely opposite, the two were very much like sisters.

The two friends continued walking down the hall. Ivonne gave another side glance and noticed that Ava was looking at her with a knowing sneaky grin on her face. She always had that grin when she knew something that someone didn't, or when she found out some good gossip. Ivonne rolled her eyes.

"Okay, what do you know?" She sighed.

"Oh, I think you know," Ava said teasingly.

"Nooo, I don't," Ivonne replied drolly.

"Yes, you doooo," said Ava in a sing song voice.

"Avaaa," Ivone said scoldingly.

"Okay, okay, Miss Serious," Ava replied throwing up her arms in mock frustration. She leaned in and sang quietly:

"I heard someone wanted you to be his Valentine todaaaaay."

Ivonne grabbed Ava by the collar while also covering her mouth and pulled her into a nearby storage facility. Once she was sure they were the only ones there, she uncovered her friend's mouth.

"Geez, girl, it's nothing to be ashamed of," said Ava smoothing out her suit collar, "Lot's of girls get flowers from their sweethearts on V-Day."

"Ollie is not my sweetheart!" Ivonne hissed, "And I'll thank you to not be saying that out loud! And for the record, I gave him back the rose."

Ava grinned and gave a happy little squeal.

"Ooooo! So he did give you a rose! For a minute there, I thought Terrence made the whole thing up!"

"Wait, Terrence told you!?" Ivonne exclaimed, her eyes opening wide with horror.

Ava clasped her hands behind her back and smiled sheepishly.

"Weeeellll, he didn't tell me per se," she admitted, "Actually, I was on my laptop and I heard him laughing about it to his friends. I was using my headphones for my laptop instead of the speaker, so they thought I wasn't listening…at least that's the impression I wanted to give them. Hah! I had those things turned off the whole time! I just came to you to see if it was true. Don't worry, no one suspects anything. They just think Ollie's a total loser. "

Ivonne gave an exasperated sigh and clapped her hand to her forehead.

"Terrific," she muttered. That last remark only made her feel worse about the incident. Ava then gave her friend a serious look.

"So you gave it back. Why?"

Ivonne shook her head sadly.

"You know why."

"_I_ know why," said Ava, "But do _you_ know why?"

Ivonne just stared at her friend. Ava was the only other person in the organization, who knew about Ivonne's feelings for Ollie. And she knew that right now Ava wanted to hear the true reason for Ivonne not accepting the rose, mostly because Ivonne had been stubborn and a bit prideful in admitting that she deeply cared for Ollie, something that Ava constantly tried to get her to confess. Besides being a computer wiz, Ava was also a hopeless romantic.

"I just…didn't want it," Ivonne answered rather weakly, "He might think I like him or something."

"Well, you do."

"Not in that way."

Ava rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, "Come on, Ivonne, I've seen how you are when you talk to him. I see that look in your eyes, when you tell me about him. And don't think I haven't noticed you staring off into space with that smile on your face. You can't hide that stuff from me, girl, I'm an information gatherer, I notice things. You care about Ollie. And it's obvious he cares about you."

Ivonne shook her head stubbornly.

"It's safer for both of us this way, Ava, you know that. If anyone here ever found out…"

Her voice trailed off. Ava stared at her friend sadly.

"But Ivonne, even if no one finds out, you know Ollie still won't be safe," she pointed out.

"Don't you think I know that?" Ivonne snapped in despair.

Ava saw the hopelessness in Ivonne's eyes. She felt sorry for her friend and was helpless to know how to help her.

"I'm sorry, girl," she said sympathetically, "I know you're in a real pickle here. I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic at times."

Ivonne gazed out across the storage facility they were in. It was dark and gloomy, like how she felt right now.

"How did I ever get into this mess?" She asked, more to herself than Ava, "And how am I gonna get out of it?"

Ava shrugged sadly.

"Hey, how were you supposed to know one of those D.O.O.M. guys would turn out to be a pretty darn adorable loser?

Ivonne couldn't help but smile at her friend's remark.

"Yeah…who'dve thought? I just hope the boss…"

Ivonne suddenly snapped back to reality, an expression of fear spreading over her face.

"Oh my gosh! The boss!" She cried flinging open the door, "I have to… OOF!"

Ivonne nearly fell to the floor as she ran into a large, sturdy, robust figure. It grabbed her hand, preventing her from falling. Ivonne rubbed her head and found herself staring into the face of a large lion, who wore a black path over his right eye. It was Silas Mane, a long time member of the organization. He was the one responsible for training new recruits and helped oversee matters for the boss. In fact, he was one of the boss' most trusted agents, like second in command. It was he who had trained Ivonne and Ava. He had taken greatly to the two girls, through the years, especially Ivonne, becoming something of a stern father figure to them. He gave Ivonne a disapproving look.

"Ivonne," he said in his familiar deep, gruff voice, "You were supposed to have appeared before the boss awhile ago. You know he disapproves of tardiness."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," she apologized, "I just got…distracted."

Silas looked into the storage facility, where the two girls had just come out of. He eyed them suspiciously.

"What were you two talking about in there, anyway?" He asked, "It sounded like a serious discussion."

"Oh, um…" stuttered Ava, twiddling her fingers, "We…I…was just asking Ivonne a computer question…yes, a computer question. I've been having a problem with my laptop and was hoping she could help me."

Silas raised one eyebrow and folded his huge arms.

"Really?" He said, unconvinced, "I thought you were an expert in that sort of thing Ava. Everyone usually comes to you for that sort of advice."

Ava bit her lip nervously.

"Well, um, even we computer geeks have off days," she said with an innocent grin.

Silas looked from Ava to Ivonne, then back to Ava. He sighed hopelessly.

"There's no time for this. Ava, go along with your business. Ivonne, come with me before the boss gets more irritated."

Both girls nodded as they did what they were told. Ava headed off down the hallway, while Silas and Ivonne went in the opposite direction towards the meeting room. Both were silent most of the way when Silas spoke.

"That D.O.O.M. agent you're working with, his name is Ollie, right?"

"Y-Yes," said Ivonne, "Why?"

Silas looked at her.

"I thought I heard his name mentioned a few times, when I was at the storage door," he replied.

Ivonne's eyes briefly widened, almost betraying the sudden anxiety she felt inside. Silas continued to stare at her, like a father who knew his child was hiding something from him. For a minute Ivonne thought she had been caught, till he spoke again.

"Hmmm, probably just my imagination."

A great relief swept over Ivonne which soon vanished as they both came to a giant steel paneled door. It opened with a threatening swoosh, revealing a cavernous room. On one side, a digital map of Petropolis was displayed on a wall sized screen. Scattered throughtout the other sides were other numerous computers and unidentifiable machines. At the end of the room on a small pedestal was a large, throne like chair. Seated upon it, almost hidden in the shadows, was the large, menacing silhouetted figure of their boss. Ivonne stared nervously at the foreboding figure. The only thing that could really be seen of him was the large metallic claw that had replaced his right hand when he lost it in an untold "accident" years ago. Silas bowed respectfully to the figure.

"Sir, here she is. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Ivonne saw two glowing eyes materialize from the top of the figure and focus their gaze on her. They seem to pierce right through her soul. She shivered.

"Well done, Silas," the figure replied in a calm tone, not once taking their eyes off her. The giant metallic claw beckoned them in with a wave.

"Come in, come in, we have important matters to discuss."

Ivonne took a deep breath of courage and tried her best to put on a calm face as she and Silas entered in. She heard the steel panel door close behind them forebodingly, sealing them in. The meeting was now in session.

* * *

**Ava seems like a real character doesn't she? At least Ivonne has someone to confide in. But what matters could her boss want to discuss? Next chapter you'll hear about the plan, and see why Ivonne fears her boss so much. Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Meeting

**Ollie and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

**All Other Characters here belong to me.**

* * *

No matter how many times Ivonne appeared before her boss, she never got use to the cold, tense feeling of his domain. Even the hardest of agents would feel their confidence drop and their legs almost give way under the hard, piercing stare of their leader. She continued walking towards him, with Silas still walking alongside her. Her eyes never left the imposing figure's eyes, as if in a hypnotic trance. Once she was within a few feet of the throne like chair, she stopped and stood straight at attention. The glowing eyes then set their gaze upon Silas.

"Silas, you may stay off to the side," the commanding voice spoke as one used to being in authority.

Silas bowed respectfully and stood off into the shadows. Ivonne could barely make out his silhouette. She was glad that Silas was allowed to stay. After this morning, she wasn't sure if she could handle having to face their boss alone. The watchful eyes once again stared straight at her, betraying no emotion.

"You're late, Ivonne," her boss said, in a matter of fact way. The statement seemed to echo all around her, as if it were the disembodied voice of a specter. She bowed her head in submission.

"I apologize, Sir," she said, trying not to show fear.

"You know I don't approve of tardiness," he continued, "An organization such as this runs on punctuality. I hate to be kept waiting, every hour that ticks by, every minute, every second, could be the determining factor in victory or defeat. And with the instigation of the plan drawing near, time is of the essence. And I won't have all my work, all my careful planning spoiled simply because one of my agents couldn't keep their appointment."

The voice grew harsher at the last sentence. Ivonne could feel her heartbeat quickening a bit. There was a moment of silence as her boss let what he said sink in. Then he spoke, his voice calm once again.

"However," he said contemplatively, "You've always been one of my best, most loyal agents, and this is the first time you've been…tardy, therefore, I will overlook it."

A wave of relief, rushed over Ivonne, but it quickly disappeared as her boss continued.

"Provided it won't happen again," he said in a way that told Ivonne that he didn't expect it to.

"It won't, Sir," Ivonne assured, "I promise."

"And we all know how important it is to keep our promises," her boss replied in a dark jokingly matter that made her shiver. He shifted his position in his chair, crossing one giant leg over the other, looking somewhat casual.

"Now then on to business," he spoke, like the CEO of a company. "I've received the update of our current "alliance" with D.O.O.M.; apparently things couldn't be going smoother. This is good. That idiot Snaptrap doesn't suspect a thing, as I expected. Even more enlightening is that T.U.F.F. doesn't seem to suspect anything either. For all they know, all of you are either new D.O.O.M agents or just some free lance henchmen."

He stroked his chin with his normal hand thoughtfully.

"A rather demeaning appearance for us, I know, but with a plan as devious as this, one must put aside a certain amount of pride."

Underneath the eyes materialized what appeared to be a smug grin, like a demonic cheshire cat.

"Besides, what's a little…humility, compared to the vast reward we shall receive once the plan is carried out?" He said in an eerily gleeful manner. "T.U.F.F. and D.O.O.M. will be no more. There will be no more competition, no more obstacles in our way. Petropolis will be under our control. Even the other villains will be forced to comply. Then…"

He clicked on a button on the control panel that was installed in his chair. The digital map of Petropolis then changed into a map of the world.

"We can move onto bigger goals," he continued, "We'll target T.U.F.F.'s sister agencies around the world: B.U.F.F., G.R.U.F.F., R.U.F.F., all of them. They'll be made into extensions of my organization. Then complete control will be mine."

He turned to Ivonne who had been standing at attention during his monologue.

"Start out small, then work your way up to bigger things, my dear" he said, as if counseling her, "That way they never see you coming…"

His metal claw suddenly clenched itself into a fist, making a sudden metallic clang echo around the room that caused Ivonne to flinch. The smile appeared again, amused to see her reaction.

"Until it's too late," he whispered, "That's how I got where I am today."

"Very clever, Sir," Ivonne complimented.

"Hmm, yes," her boss, chuckled. His demeanor became serious. "But I didn't just call you here just so I could boast of my plans; I have an important job that I can entrust to only my best agents. And the one I choose is you."

Ivonne's eyes widened.

"Me, Sir?" She asked. She knew she was regarded amongst the organization as one of the best, but she never thought her boss thought so highly of her…and that worried her.

"Of course," he said in a disturbingly cheerful way, "You've never failed me before, Ivonne. I need an agent who I can trust will get the job done, in and out like that."

He emphasized the last word with a snap of his claws. He then leaned forward in his chair.

"Can I trust you, my dear?" He said, his eyes narrowing.

Ivonne always shuddered inwardly at the way her called her dear, nor did she know why he sometimes referred to her as that, but she wasn't about to correct him, and she certainly didn't want to know why he did it. Regardless, she nodded obediently.

"Yes, Sir," she said, confidently, "Just tell me what the task is, and I'll carry it out as quickly as possible."

Her boss sat back in his chair, nodding approvingly. He then gently held up a small computer disk with his metal claw.

"Good," he replied, "You'll need this for your assignment. I want you to take this computer disk to D.O.O.M. Headquarters tonight. Tell Snaptrap that we've been working on improving our computer systems and, and since our companies are…"partners," D.O.O.M.'s computers should have the same upgrade. If I know that fool, he'll agree to anything that'll give D.O.O.M. an advantage. Have it installed in their laptops too, if they have any. If they even have the internet on their cell phones, connect them to the computers to have the upgrade. Nothing must be overlooked. "

He leaned forward again with the same piercing gaze he had earlier.

"Do you know why, Ivonne?" He asked, his voice sounding deeper. "Do you know why this little disk is so important?"

Ivonne nodded gravely. It was what they had been planning for this whole time.

"The worm," she said in a whisper. Her boss grinned evily.

"Yes," he hissed, delightfully, "The worm, a worm capable of shutting down any computer, any device, any form of technology.. That's the backbone of society today, my dear, technology. Without it, society will crumble. Just look at the panic that folks had about the Y2K bug before the new century. That alone is proof of my theory. Everything will shut down, phones, traffic signals, even the signals for cell phones will be blocked. Right now, as we speak, many of Petropolis' major corporations are having their computer systems silently infected. Soon we'll move onto the other targets, including T.U.F.F. Best of all, my technological wizards have made it possible for the worm to remain undetected. Oh it's there, imbedded in the systems, but right now it's deactivated, hibernating you might say, but when the hour has come and I press the activation button…"

He stood up slowly, his giant imposing figure casting a dark shadow over Ivonne that nearly made her cower.

"I'll send out a signal that'll awaken it! At that hour, at that very moment, all technology will shut down. Panic and chaos will rain in the streets! Practically nothing will work!"

His voice calmed down a bit as he smiled evilly.

"Except for my organization, and D.O.O.M, of course," He said, "That's what this little disk is for, to give D.O.O.M. the antiworm protection, though they don't know about that detail. They'll just think we're making their technology better. That will draw suspicion on them when the plan is put into action. We're well hidden, not even T.U.F.F. really knows much about us. When everything shuts down, they'll immediately suspect D.O.O.M. is behind it and go after them. Seeing D.O.O.M.'s technology still working will only confirm they're suspicions. Soon they'll both be too busy fighting and arguing like fools to notice that my agents will have surrounded both T.U.F.F. and D.O.O.M.. However, D.O.O.M. won't be untouched for long. The antiworm we're giving them is only temporary. Once the signal is sent out, the timer for it will be activated, and then…"  
He pounded his fist on the arm of his chair.

"That's when we'll strike!" He growled triumphantly, "My agents will then attack from their positions over Petropolis. When D.O.O.M.'s technology shuts down, my agents that'll be with them will turn on them and subdue them and any T.U.F.F. agents that are there. By the time T.U.F.F. realizes what's going on, it'll be too late. We'll be able to overtake both organizations! Then I can take over!"

He stood up triumphantly.

"Not even the outside world will be able to help," he continued, "Because at the moment, my inventors are working on an electrical shield, a shield that will cover all of Petropolis and keep any signals from coming in or going out!"

He calmed down and stroked his chin in sinister contemplation.

"As for what I will do with those fools from T.U.F.F. and D.O.O.M., well, let's just say that I've been making special plans for them."

Ivonne didn't even want to consider what her boss' "plans" were. She stood in frozen fear as he lumbered down the mound steps and walked slowly towards her. She tried her best to keep a calm appearance, though her hands were quivering. Once in front of her, he leaned towards her till his face was directly in front of hers, his warm, sour breath blowing against her face.

"That's why it's important that all of D.O.O.M.'s computers receive the upgrade," he said in a thick dark tone, "If even the smallest computer is overlooked, the whole plan could be ruined."

His eyes widened in an almost insane manner. Ivonne's heartbeat was racing.

"I do not want my plan to be ruined, Ivonne," he hissed, "You understand, don't you?"

Ivonne nodded meekly. Her boss stood up straight, with a satisfied look on his face. He placed his normal hand heavily on her shoulder.

"Good," he said happily, "Try not to make your visit too quick. Otherwise you'll draw suspicion. Make pleasant conversation, that sort of thing." He smiled coldly. "After all, it may be the last conversation you'll be able to have with our… 'friends'."

He laughed at his morbid joke. Ivonne tried to smile, but inside she was starting to panic. Her boss then dismissed her with a wave of his metal claw.

"You may go now, Ivonne," he said, "Take any supplies you think you'll need. You can head for D.O.O.M. when it gets dark. Oh, and take this." He placed another different colored disk into her hand. "This is the special virus protection that I'm having installed into our computers. It'll guard us against the worm. I want all my agents to have them install it into their laptops."

Ivonne stared curiously at the small disk in her hand, as her boss continued.

"I'll have Silas let D.O.O.M. know you'll be coming. Don't fail me."

He fixed his piercing eyes on her. Ivonne just stared back, unable to move.

"This assignment is of key importance to the plan," he said in a low menacing tone, "I would hate for it to be…jeopardized."

Ivonne nodded dumbly, feeling the full impact of her boss' words. She bowed respectfully and walked out as fast as she could, still feeling her boss' gaze at her back. He watched her as the panel doors closed behind her, then casually walked back to his chair. Setting down comfortably he began tapping his claws together in eager anticipation.

"Soon, Silas," he said with a sinister smile, "Very soon."

Silas only nodded in reply.

Ivonne speed walked down the halls, avoiding eye contact with anyone who came her way, lest they see her grief stricken face. All she wanted to do at that moment was to retrieve the items she needed for her mission and head straight for home. She felt as if the entire world had been suddenly dropped onto her shoulders. The meeting with her boss left her feeling more anxious, stressed, confused, and crestfallen than she'd ever felt. After what happened at the park earlier, the last thing she wanted to do that day was to see Ollie again. How could she face him after she broke his heart? Even worst, now her boss expected her to install a system at D.O.O.M. that would aid in leading them to their destruction. Therefore, she was destroying them…destroying him, the only guy who made her feel truly happy… the only guy who ever made her feel anything. She was so busy focused on her problem that she wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of her. She gave a little gasp of shock as she found herself walking right into Terrence. He steadied her with both hands, giving her a sly smile.

"I knew I'd get you into my arms eventually," he said jokingly.

Ivonne blushed as she saw that he had both his hands firmly on her shoulders. She quickly backed out of his grasped. Terrence casually leaned against the wall, eyeing her admiringly.

"So, where're you off too in a hurry?"

Ivonne nervously brushed her hair away from her eyes. She was still greatly troubled by her meeting with the boss.

"Um, I'm…I'm off to do stuff," she answered vaguely. She was about to walk past him when he blocked her way.

"What kind of stuff?" He asked.

"Assignment stuff," she said, starting to get annoyed.

"Ah, yes, your meeting with the boss," Terrence said, "Actually, that's why I was just on my way to look for you. I got a little something for you. "

Before Ivonne could say anything, Terrence pulled out from his jacket: a bouquet of a dozen red roses. Ivonne was too shocked to say anything as he handed them to her. He smiled handsomely.

"I thought you'd need some cheering up after having to talk with the boss," he explained, "I know how…unsettling he can make one feel. "

Ivonne looked at Terrence, still a bit stunned. His smile widened, obviously pleased with her reaction. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said suavely.

Ivonne blushed again. She had certainly not expected this.

"Um, I…it's…thank you?" She stuttered.

Terrence chuckled. "Surprised, huh? I knew you'd be." He winked at her. "A woman like you deserves the very best."

Ivonne ran her hand throughout the roses, each one as red as the next. They were beautiful. She looked up and found herself staring right into Terrence's eyes. They looked so gentle that for one brief moment, she became flustered. He spoke softly.

"Maybe, tomorrow I can treat you to lunch," he suggested, "Consider it a late Valentine's gift."

Ivonne stared at the ground in uncertainty. It wasn't like her to be like this. Terrence caught her at a moment when she was unsure and vulnerable.

"That does sound nice," she admitted a bit hesitantly. Terrence moved in closer. He whipped his long tail gracefully around and gently lifted her chin with the tip of it.

"We could even see a movie if you like," he continued, "You look like you've been having a hard time. You need to have a little fun, loosen up, get your mind off things."

Ivonne stared at him, her mind all a big muddle. Fun. She hadn't had that in a while. Her mind had been feeling so clouded lately with her problems. She wanted to forget them…to forget these emotions that seemed to be overtaking her. Choosing to be with Terrence…it would be the easy way out of this whole mess.

"I'll…I'll think about it," she replied walking off. Terrence watched her leave, admiring how graceful her walk was. Two figures soon walked up behind him. It was his friends: K.O., a kangaroo who was a fist fighting champ, and Steeltusk, an elephant whose long ivory tusks had been replaced with two steel metallic ones. The two had been watching the scene from around a corner.

"Think she was interested?" K.O. asked.

"Of course," Terrence said confidently, "I saw the expression on her face. She's longing for a break, for some relaxation."

"You sure it was smart to give her the roses after that D.O.O.M. agent tried the same thing?" Steeltusk asked.

Terrence shrugged, unconcerned. "It's just my subtle way of showing her who's the better guy," he answered.

K.O. stared at him in surprise. "Don't tell me you actually see that English possum as competition?" He asked.

Terrence smirked at the idea. "Course not," he scoffed, "But why take any chances? I know she told me there's nothing between them but, still…it pays to have some insurance."

He started to walk off, his hands in his pockets. "Ivonne and I have worked together a lot of times. She's mentioned before what a great partner I am. We're a perfect team. I just need to keep reminding her of that." He chuckled mockingly. "Besides what amazing things can that D.O.O.M. possum do? Make her a cup of tea? Ha! He's no competition, believe me."

Terrence's face then became grim, his eyes narrowing. "But he better not try anything funny," he growled, "And if he does…"

He gave his tail a quick flick, making a threatening cracking sound at the air that echoed throughout the halls.

"I'll just have to…give him a fair warning."

K.O. chuckled. "You're a sly one, Terrence."

Terrence walked off with his friends, smiling triumphantly.

"And that's why there's no way I can lose," he said smugly.

* * *

**Oooo, romantic competition...what would a story be without it? Well, Ivonne certainly had a pleasant meeting. Now you see why she's so afraid of her boss? But what kind of animal is he? You'll find out soon.**

** Poor Ivonne, having to be the one to doom the man she loves. Things just keep getting worse for her. Don't worry, Ollie will appear in the next chapter as will Francisco.;) More to come!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Revelation

**Ollie and Francisco and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

**Ivonne, Ava, and Silas (c) Me**

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, Ivonne finally arrived at her apartment. Slamming the door behind her, she headed straight to her bedroom, tossed her stuff onto the floor, and flopped onto the bed. She buried her face in her pillow, wishing that she could just vanish completely. What a day. First she hurt Ollie after he had been so sweet to her, and now she was given the one assignment that would doom him and his friends once and for all, some Valentine's Day.

_ Day of romance my foot_, she thought bitterly.

Suddenly she remembered the bouquet of roses that Terrence had given her. Reaching wearily over the edge of her bed, she brought up the bouquet. She sat up studying the ruby red roses that seemed to stare back at her. She sighed, feeling disgusted with her self. She rejected Ollie's rose, yet here she was holding the dozen that Terrence gave her. Twelve roses, eleven more than what Ollie gave her. Yet, all these roses didn't make her feel the way that single rose did. All the roses in the world combined couldn't.

A knock at the door brought Ivonne out of her thoughts. Curious as to whom it could be, she forced her self off of her bed and walked to her front door. She peeked through the peephole and recognized the familiar face of Ava. Relieved to see her friend, Ivonne opened the door. She desperately needed to get everything off her chest and knew Ava would be willing to listen.

"Hey, Ivonne!" Ava greeted, walking into the apartment. She was in her usual cheerful mood.

"Hi, Ava," greeted Ivonne in a tired voice, "Boy am I glad to see you."

Ava flopped down onto the living room couch. "Yeah, Silas told me to check up on you when I got off work. He said you looked shaken up after your meeting with the boss…even more so than all the other times."

She leaned back against the couch. "So, what's up?" She asked. She suddenly sat straight up, her eyes practically popping open.

"Oooooo! Who gave you those?!" She asked excitedly, pointing to the rose bouquet Ivonne held in her hand. Ivonne glanced in surprise at the bouquet. For a minute she forgot she was holding them.

"Oh, um, Terrence gave them to me," she answered.

"Terrence?" Ava replied, "Well, he always did have an eye for you. You're really becoming Miss Popular today."

"Lucky me," Ivonne mumbled sarcastically, "He gave it to me as a Valentine's gift."

"Uhhhh huh," Ava replied, not impressed, "So he gives you a dozen roses, right after Ollie gives you a rose. Ha! That guy's just being a copycat!"

"No! Well, maybe…okay you're right," Ivonne admitted, sitting down next to her friend.

Ava folded her arms and nodded. "Mmm hm, that guy's just trying to make you think he's better than Ollie, that's all."

Ivonne fiddled with the bouquet. "Maybe but…he did offer to take me to lunch tomorrow," she said, staring at the roses, "Even to a movie after that. Maybe I should go."

Ava looked at her friend skeptically. "You're kidding, right?" She said with a laugh.

Ivonne shook her head. "He's smart, strong, and…he can be nice at times," she said, though not convincingly, "We've been a good team in the past. He seems to care about me. Maybe…maybe I should be with him instead."

"What!?" Ava cried, "Why? You love Ollie not Terrence!"

"Because I'm thinking about what's best for me and Ollie!" Ivonne claimed loudly, "The boss won't care if I'm with Terrence. Don't you see? This is my way out of this mess! Besides, I've already hurt Ollie enough!"

"But…aren't you only gonna hurt him more if he sees you with Terrence?" Ava replied.

"Y-Yes," said Ivonne, "But…it's for his own good. I'll just bring him to harm. The sooner he gets over me the better."

"Well, I guess I can see what you're saying," said Ava scratching her head, "But you're forgetting one thing."

"What's that?" Ivonne asked.

"Even if you're crazy idea does work, it'll be all for nothing once the plan is put into action," Ava pointed out.

Ivonne blinked, then looked as if she were about to cry. With a sad moan, she flopped back against the sofa. "You're right," she almost sobbed, "Either way, Ollie's gonna get hurt. And I can't tell him what's going on…I can't! It'll shatter him. He'll hate me. He'll never believe me again after that."

She stared at the ground, her lips quivering. "And if the boss finds out I told…"

Ava sat back down on the couch, staring sadly at her friend. She could tell that Ivonne was clearly distressed about this. Ivonne looked at her friend, a hopeless expression on her face.

"I didn't even want to be in this organization in the first place," she said bitterly, "Why am I even here?"

Ava sighed regretfully. "You didn't have a choice, Girl," she said sadly, "A lot of us didn't."

They were silent for a while, both with their own thoughts. Then Ivonne turned to look at her friend. "I have to tell you something," she confessed quietly, "It's about my meeting with the boss."

Ava listened intently as Ivonne described the meeting, about the plan and what the boss wanted her to do. Ava's expression became more and more anxious as Ivonne went through the whole scenario. When she finished, both just stayed silent. Then Ava asked the obvious question:

"Dang, so what're you gonna do now?"

Ivonne sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I don't know," she groaned.

Ava patted her friend on the shoulder. "Look," she said consolingly, "You had a really rough day and you look beat. Why don't you try taking a nap? It's still hours before you have to leave for D.O.O.M. Maybe a nap will clear your head. Heck, who knows? Maybe you'll dream up an answer. I'll do my best to think of something too"

Ivonne looked up at her friend, amazed at her unwavering optimism. "Maybe I will," she replied wearily, "I do feel drained after today. A quick cat nap couldn't hurt."

"You mean possum nap," Ava said with a chuckle. Despite how she felt, Ivonne managed to give a small laugh.

"You're a nerd," she said, "You can stay if you want. Help yourself to anything in the fridge."

"Ooooo, don't mind if I do," Ava said gratefully, while hopping off the couch, "Don't worry, I'll mind the fort. You go get some rest."

"Thanks," said Ivonne, heading off to her room.

"If you dream of Ollie, tell 'im I said 'Hi'," Ava called. A pillow whacked her in the face.

"Shut up!" Ivonne laughed from down the hall.

It was a few hours before Ivonne finally woke from her sleep. She looked at the time on her clock. _Man, I was out_, she thought. Ava was right though, a nap did help her feel a lot better than she had felt earlier. Her mind felt much clearer and her heart a little less heavy. But… the pain was still there, deep in her heart. Ivonne stretched and slowly got up from her bed. She went over to her vanity mirror, sat down in the chair, and began to brush her hair. Her movements were almost mechanical as she thought about all that had happened. One image kept entering her mind that caused the pain in her heart to increase bit by bit. She tried to push it away, but it always managed to sneak back. She just kept seeing it…the expression on Ollie's face when she gave him back the rose, when she told him "no," the look of hurt and rejection. Ivonne set down her brush with a hopeless sigh and stared at the mirror. She felt a mixture of emotions welling up within her. Sadness, anger, regret, and many other feelings whirled around within, making her confused and frustrated.

"I wish he never came to the park today," she finally muttered, "I was fine until he came along."

Then it came back. That same small whispering voice she had heard in the park.

_ No you weren't_.

"Yes I was. I was looking forward to a good day in the park. Then he came along and ruined it."

_ He was the reason why you came to the park in the first place_.

"Well that was a mistake. This whole thing is a mistake. Meeting _him_ was a mistake. I wish he never came into my life!"

_ Before he came, you didn't even have a life_.

"Did so!"

_ Doing assignments for your boss, always being so serious, being like an emotionless robot. Yes, you had fun with your friends sometimes, but it was half hearted. You're all living under the threatning shadow of your boss, the fear, the unpredictability of his nature, like a storm waiting to break_.

"I can handle it, I've always have."

_ That's what drew you to Ollie in the first place: his calm temperament, his gentleman ways_.

"Signs of weakness."

_ He was the calm in the midst of your stormy life. You didn't have to pretend to be strong around him, to be defensive. He saw your intelligence, your resourcefulness…what most men didn't even try to see_.

"I don't need him."

_ Yes you do. You know that. He's the one thing you can hold onto, depend on. But now you're in danger of losing that, of losing him_.

"I don't care."

_ You do care. If you didn't, you wouldn't have acted the way you did today, nor would you be in this struggle between him and the plan. You'd just be playing along with the ruse, with no concern whatsoever for him_.

"There is no struggle!" Ivonne closed her eyes tightly, trying to ignore the little voice of her conscience.

_ Yes there is. Because continuing with your boss' plan could mean losing him forever, and with him gone, you'll have what you started with…nothing_.

This sudden revelation seemed to awaken something in Ivonne. She opened her eyes, to find her own reflection staring back at her from her vanity mirror. She started to think… really think. She thought back to when she first saw Ollie, when the plan was formed, when she started working with him. She thought back to all the assignments they went on together, all the past conversations and bits of fun that they had, all that had happened leading up to now, and realized…

It was true.

All that had run through her mind just now was all true. How she felt about Ollie, why she had fallen for him, and why she didn't want to lose him. The truth was: he really was the best thing that ever happened to her. With him she felt things were normal, with him she felt…safe, and not in the "someone to protect me" sense. With him, she discovered emotions that she didn't know she was still capable of feeling. He really was the calm in the midst of the storm that was the organization she worked at. A sudden feeling overwhelmed her heart, a warm feeling of fondness, gratefulness, and appreciation towards the British opossum, …a feeling of love. She smiled as she thought about him: his bright blue eyes, funny yet cheerful voice, and jolly laugh. She thought about that morning, how she felt when he gave her the rose, how he unintentionally made her laugh…how she suddenly wanted to be near him. She then realized just what she was in danger of losing, and she knew…she couldn't bear to lose it…to lose him. How could she have even considered choosing Terrence? She loved Ollie and he loved her…she was sure of it. _But I have to hear it from him_, she thought.

Then she began to feel a great anger…towards her boss. For having to suffer under his shadow for so long. That she was forced into his organization with no choice. That he was the one that kept her from truly enjoying life. That he was the one obstacle that threatened to take away the one thing that made her life in that place bearable. No, she was not going to end up with nothing…not again. Not after seeing now what she truly had. But what could she do?

She looked out the window of her room. It was already getting dark. She turned back to her mirror and finished fixing her hair. She stood up and headed resolutely to her closet door. Inside she opened up a practically invisible compartment that contained her spy suit. She then hurried to the bathroom to change. She had to hurry if she was to make it to D.O.O.M. headquarters. Changing quickly, she headed towards the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat. As she passed through her living room, she saw Ava watching TV.

"What're you watching?" she asked her monitor friend.

"Oh, welcome back," Ava greeted, "Just some breaking news. Apparently some dog got his tongue stuck in the coin slot of a vending machine. A Dudley something or other."

"Weird," said Ivonne, walking into the kitchen and opening the fridge, "I'm just gonna eat something, then head on over to D.O.O.M."

Ava turned completely around on the couch to face Ivonne. "So have you figured out what you're gonna do?" She asked anxiously. Ivonne shook her head as she munched on her snack.

"'fraid not," she admitted, "But I did do some thinking, and I do know one thing, something I should've admitted to myself a long time ago."

"What's that?" Ava asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

Ivonne looked her friend in the eye. "I love Ollie," she said, "and I'm not going to lose him."

Ava stared wide eyed at her friend…then let out a squeal of delight. She ran over to Ivonne and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Hallelujah! She finally admits it!" Ava cried, hopping up and down with Ivonne still in her embrace.

"Ava? Ava! I'm gonna hurl if you keep doing that!" Ivonne exclaimed, starting to feel a bit nauseous. Ava quickly released her friend, looking a bit sheepish.

"Sorry," she apologized, "I'm just glad that you finally stopped being so stubborn about it."

Ivonne breathed deeply, getting a second wind, then smiled. "Right," she said, "I still don't know what exactly I'm gonna do though. Maybe Ill think of something on the way."

Ava sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, Ivonne," she apologized, "I tried to think of something, I really did, but...I'm stumped."

Ivonne hugged her friend gratefully. "I know, you tried Ava, thanks" she said consolingly, "Honestly, I don't think I'd have been able to get through this whole thing without you. Thanks for listening to me rant, and for always having my back."

Ava smiled. "Hey, that's what best friends are for," she replied.

Ivonne buckled on her belt and placed her laptop in its carrying case. "You mind waiting here until I get back?" She asked, "I have a feeling I'm gonna need someone to talk to after _this_ mission."

"Oh, heck yeah!" Ava exclaimed enthusiastically, "You know I never miss the chance for some good gossip!"

Ivonne shook her head in amusement."You know where the spare keys are if you need to go out and get something," she called as she headed out, "Keep your communicator on, just in case. And I wanna see my apartment in one piece when I get back."

"Aye, aye Captain!" Ava called back, "Good luck!"

Ivonne went silently out to where the cars were parked and hopped onto her motorcycle. Putting on her helmet and making sure the handbag she carried was secured, she sped off into the night.

It wasn't long before Ivonne found herself approaching D.O.O.M. HQ, an old abandoned factory which was situated by the sea. She could make out the giant letters forming the words of Verminious Snaptrap's evil organization. Ivonne shook her head in disbelief. Only Snaptrap would be dumb enough to announce his organization's hideout to the world…not that it was really hidden to begin with.

Parking her motorcycle, and making sure it was well hidden, Ivonne walked stealthily to the front entrance of D.O.O.M. and knocked. Nothing. She tried again. Still nothing. Ivonne sighed in exasperation. _They knew I was coming_, she thought angrily. She then stared up towards the roof. Maybe she could go up and peek in to see if anyone was in. She went to the side of the building where it was darkest, and fired a grappling hook towards the roof. After making sure it had hooked onto something tight, she began her climb up the wall. Peeking over the top, she saw that the rooftop was empty, save for the three giant smokestacks along the top, though no smoke was spewing out tonight. As she climbed carefully over, she thought she heard something on the other side of the smokestacks. Keeping her hand on her blaster, she padded silently towards the right end smokestack and carefully peeked around it. There, standing near the small wall that ran along the edge of the roof, were the figures of Ollie and Francisco. They both seemed to be in a conversation.

Ivonne was about to go over to them when she heard Ollie mention her name. She paused and tried to listen in. _I wonder if he's talking about me_, she thought. Then she remembered a listening device she had in one of the pouches that hung on her belt. It enabled one to hear conversations many feet away. _It wouldn't hurt to listen just for a few minutes_, she thought as she reached into the pouch. She placed the small device in her ear, turned it on, and listened. Ollie was scolding Francisco.

"I can't believe you were trying to spy on us!" He exclaimed, "I mean I know that's what we do, but we're chums! You don't spy on your chums it's not…chummy!"

Francisco rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I won't do it again," he said. He then noticed the look of disappointment on Ollie's face.

"Hey uh, sorry about what happened today, pal," he said. Ollie just sighed in reply.

"Ehh, no offense Ollie," Francisco continued, "But what were you expectin'? For her to get all mushy and start kissin' ya' when you gave her the rose?"

"What! No!" Ollie replied, "Well…perhaps the thought did cross my mind. Okay, yes. I…I just wanted to do something nice for her. I mean it _is_ Valentine's Day. I just thought she deserved something special, that's all."

"Ah, come on, Ollie," Francisco smirked, "I know you want that girl ta' like ya...I mean _really_ like ya. I saw that look on your face when we first ran into her and those other agents she was with. It hasn't gone away since. Heh, you've fallen for her bad, Pal."

Ollie sighed in defeat and placed his hands in his suit pockets. "Alright, guilty as charged," he admitted, "A chap can dare to dream can't he?"

"Yeah, sure," said Francisco skeptically, "But uh, didn't she hate your guts when her boss and Snaptrap started this whole team up thing?"

"Harsh choice of words," Ollie muttered, "But yes, she did "hate my guts" as you so tactfully put it. It wasn't a… pleasant start I admit…"

Francisco just raised one eye in response. Ollie threw up his hands.

"Alright, it was a living heck!" He exclaimed.

Ivonne cringed when she heard him say this, because it was true. She hadn't treated him kindly at all when they first started. _Little did I know_, she sighed inwardly. She snapped out of her thoughts as Ollie spoke again.

"But, she's different now," he argued, "She treats me much more decent. She smiles at me a lot more. We talk a lot and even joke. She said herself that she enjoyed working with me. I…I guess I just hope that… maybe..."

"Let me guess," said Francisco. He batted his eyes outrageously, "You hope that she'll fall in wuv with you. And then you guys can hold hands, go for long romantic strolls, make kissy faces at each other …

"Oh, shut up!" Ollie snapped, giving Francisco a whack with his hat, but the alligator was undeterred.

"And then you can get married and have little possum babies runnin' around everywhere…" he continued.

"I said- Wait, WHAT!?" Ollie exclaimed, his face turning red. Ivonne blushed as well.

"Say, isn't your species known for making lots of babies in one litter?" Francisco asked, "Does that mean you'll probably start out with thirteen kids or somethin'?"

"FRANCISCO!"

"Sheesh, just kiddin'," Francisco said with a chuckle. Ollie looked out across the sea in silence. The alligator watched his friend intuitively.

"You really care about her don't ya?" He asked seriously.

Ollie nodded. "She's just…amazing, you know?" He said fondly, "Yes she seems a bit serious and no nonsense but, she can be quite fun and free spirited when she wants to be. I've seen it…and I like it. The thing is, she can be enjoyable to be around. Once she drops the serious demeanor, she's so…full of life. And she's clever too, intelligent, not at all "ditzy" as some would say. And can she fight. She's a tough girl that one. She's just…fascinating."

Ivonne felt her heart leap. She didn't know he thought that way about her. A wave of emotions started to stir in her as she felt her face grow warm.

Francisco shook his head. "You're headed for a big heartbreak, pal," he warned, "Ehh, girls like that are way out of our league. I mean, come one, you know we ain't exactly the kind of guys most ladies would be attracted to. They want strong, handsome, dashin', manly men. And, well, look at us. I'm hunchbacked with a crooked snout and uh, no offense, but you ain't exactly a muscle man. I mean, you're so skinny you could fall through a grate. At least most of you is, except for this little belly on ya."

He gave Ollie's belly a poke. "See, this is what happens when ya' drink too much tea."

Ollie smacked Francisco's hand away. "I'm aware of my physical appearance!" He exclaimed indignantly.

"Eh, anyways," Francisco continued, "You even mentioned yourself once that 'Ladies don't really talk to us,' remember?"

"Yes, that I recall, but, Ivonne's not like other girls," Ollie argued, "She's not like those air headed women that fawn over the latest hot fellows in a movie star magazine. She's more sensible than that."

"Yeah, maybe," Francisco agreed with a shrug, "But after hearin' how she reacted today, I think it'd be better if you just backed off for now. You told me the stuff she said to ya' when you started workin' together. She must've really meant it."

Ollie stared down at his feet. "Perhaps," he said.

"And uh, didn't she say that her boss don't exactly approve of his agents having relationships with those outside of his organization?" The alligator asked.

Ollie's face became downcast. "Yes, she did say that," he answered quietly, "But maybe all that will change when we finally carry out our plan to get rid of T.U.F.F."

Ivonne's heart practically fell down to her feet. _Oh Ollie, how can I ever tell you?_

Francisco sympathized with his friend. "Uhhh, look, Ollie," he said consolingly, "I'm not trying to dash your hopes and dreams here, I'm just tellin' ya' to be careful and not get your hopes up so high, that's all. That's what pals do. They keep their friends from hopin'."

"Um, right," said Ollie, knowing what his friend meant.

Francisco lazily scratched his side. "Well, I'm ready to head inside and watch some TV," he said to Ollie, "How about you?"

"Nah," Ollie replied, "I think I'll stay up here for a while. I…what's this?"

He bent down and picked up a piece of paper that had fallen from beneath Francisco's shirt. Francisco frantically tried to grab it, but unfortunately, Ollie was much taller than him.

"Nothin', here I'll take it," he said anxiously as he kept trying to grab the paper.

"What the- this is the letter I received from my mum!" Ollie exclaimed.

"I only peeked a little bit!" Francisco said defensively.

"You read my mail!?" Ollie said angrily.

"It was lying on your bunk. You were practically invitin' someone to read it!" Francisco argued.

"A man's letter from his mum is personal!" Ollie growled, "First the park and now this!? I can't believe you!"

"By the way, 'My Jolly Ollie?'" Francisco said with a chuckle, "What's with that?"

"It-It's a pet name!" Ollie replied, turning red, "She had pet names for me and all my siblings!"

"Ha!Ha! 'Jolly Ollie'?" Francisco laughed, "Oh, I'm gonna get a lot out of this!"

Ollie narrowed his eyes and whispered threateningly: "I swear, if you tell anyone…"

"Hey uh, while we're on the subject," Francisco interrupted, "Could you ask her to send some more of those cookies she sent ya last time. Ow! Ow! Hey quit it!"

Ollie began smacking Francisco along the head with his hat. The alligator dodged him and raced to the stairway that led downstairs.

"You know, for an "English gentleman" you ain't very gentle!" he shouted.

"Oh, go bite someone!" Ollie shouted back, stuffing the letter into his suit.

"Later, Jolly Ollie!"" Francisco called back with a laugh.

Ollie muttered something under his breath then turned towards the sea. It wasn't long before his mind was off his anger and onto the conversation he and Francisco just had. He knew his friend meant well but, Ollie couldn't help it. He was smitten with Ivonne. She was beautiful, there was no denying that but… there was much more to her than that. He saw it. Ollie smiled as he remembered how she was when he offered her the rose. She looked like she truly _was_ about to kiss him.

But then, why did she draw back? Every time they seemed to get close, she'd back away. Ollie went through his mind all the assignments he and Ivonne went on together, all the times they had spoken to each other. He sighed sadly. Who was he kidding? There was no real evidence that Ivonne felt that way about him. All he was doing was trying to come up with a valid argument…and failing.

"Maybe I am just fooling myself," he said bitterly, "I've hoped and dreamed that Ivonne would eventually feel for me the way I do for her but…maybe that's all it is, a dream…a foolish dream."

_ Oh Ollie_, Ivonne thought sadly.

Ollie stuck his hands back into his suit pockets and stared out at the horizon. "What do I have to offer her anyway?" He asked himself, "I'm just a plain abnormally thin opossum from England with a big snout, a Monty Pythoneqsque accent, and two front teeth that for some inexplicable reason don't match. I'm not like those other fellows she works with...like that Terrence chap."

_ No_, Ivonne thought, _you're much better_.

"How can I tell her?" He said sadly to himself. He reached into his suit and pulled something out.

Ivonne gasped. It was the rose he had given her at the park. _He still kept it?_ She thought. She felt her heart almost leap out of her chest. Ollie studied the rose in his hand. He gently stroked the petals contemplatively as Ivonne had done earlier, as he continued to sadly ponder aloud.

"How can I tell her how I feel? That…that I care about her? That she's the strongest, most graceful, most intelligent, most beautiful woman I've ever met? That it makes my day just to see her? And when she smiles at me…I feel like someone worthwhile?" He sighed in frustration. "I just want a chance," he said softly, "A chance to get to know her better, a chance to prove that I'm worthy of her affection, her time… her love...because she's worthy of mine."

He stared at the rose sadly. "Maybe even too worthy."

Ivonne felt as if her heart would burst with happiness. _He means it_, she thought tenderly, _He really means it. He does love me! Oh, Ollie, you are worthy, you are_.

She had to check herself before she instinctively rushed over to him. _I can't let him know I've been listening_, she thought, _Not yet_. Putting the listening device away, she walked back to where she had climbed over the roof top. Grabbing the grappling hook, she banged it against the wall loud enough for Ollie to hear.

"Hello?" She heard him call out, "Who's there?"

"Ollie?" she called back, trying to sound surprised, "Is that you?" She saw his silouhetted form come into clear view as he came closer.

"I-Ivonne?" He stuttered, suddenly sounding nervous. She gave him a small smile.

"Hi," she said.

"Um, hello," Ollie answered back, a bit confused, "W-What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? Didn't you get the message?" Ivonne asked, even more confused than him.

Ollie scratched his head. "Message?" He asked dumbly.

"From Silas," she answered, "He was going to tell you about the upgrades. The upgrades I have to give to your computers."

Ollie just stared at her, a blank expression on his face.

Ivonne stared back in disbelief. "You didn't get any message did you?" She asked flatly, folding her arms.

"N-none that I know of," Ollie confessed, "Perhaps one of the other agents received it. C'mon, we'll go downstairs and see."

Ivonne followed Ollie down the steps that led from the roof to D.O.O.M.'s main chamber. She could sense that Ollie was being somewhat cautious around her, most likely because of what happened at the park. _How can I ever convince him not to be afraid after that?_ She thought sadly to herself. _If only I could speak to him alone. Then he could know. He could know how I really feel. But what do I do about my mission?_

* * *

**Aww, sweetness.^^ At least Ivonne knows Ollie truly loves her. Ollie you 'ol romantic, you. Finally, Ivonne's stopped being so stubborn about her feelings for the British chap. But...will she reveal everything to him? Including the plan? We'll see...**


	5. Chapter 5 - Confession

**Ollie, Verminious Snaptrap, Francisco, Bad Dog, Larry, and DOOM (c) Butch Hartman**

**Ivonne, Silas (c) Me**

* * *

Ollie and Ivonne entered the main chamber only to find that it was completely empty, save for Francisco and Bad Dog watching TV on an old beaten up couch. Francisco noticed them walking towards them. "Hey, uh, what's she doing here?" He asked, pointing at Ivonne.

"Ivonne, told me that she was sent here to giva an upgrade to our computers," Ollie explained, "She said that we should've received a message from that Silas Mane fellow earlier. Did either of you get it?"

Francisco and Bad Dog exchanged glances and shook their heads. "Uhhh, no, I don't remember ever getting any message," Francisco replied. Bad Dog just shrugged.

Ollie and Ivonne exchanged glances, both more puzzled than ever. "So what…"He began when a loud ruckus from upstairs was heard, like someone shouting. They heard a door slam upstairs, then the sound of footsteps stomping down the stairs accompanied by the harsh whiny voice of Verminious Snaptrap, leader of D.O.O.M.

"Darn it, Larry!" He shouted as he leaped down the last few steps, dressed in a tux, "How could you lose the dinner reservation tickets! Do you have any idea how much of your paycheck it cost me to pay for those stupid things?!"

"But Snaptrap, you never gave them to me!" Replied the small bespectacled shrew, who was also wearing a tux.

"Don't give me your lame excuses!" Snaptrap snapped as he began rummaging around D.O.O.M. HQ., "Just help me find those darn things so we can take my mom and sister to their Valentine's dinner and get this whole thing over with!"

Ollie, Ivonne, Francisco, and Bad Dog all watched in confusion as Snaptrap and Larry rushed helter skelter throughout the lair, checking every nook and cranny. Both were oblivious to the observers until Snaptrap spotted them as he rushed by. "What're you yahoos lookin' at?" He snapped, "Make yourselves useful and help me out here!"

"Um, Boss," Ollie spoke, "What exactly is it you're looking for?"

"The dinner reservation tickets that I paid for," Snaptrap replied in disgust, "My mom said that since it's Vaaaalentine's Day, I should treat her to dinner for being such a good mother. Ha!"Good" my hairless pink tail!"

"I helped pay for those tickets too!" Larry complained.

"No one cares, Larry!" Snaptrap shouted, "It's bad enough she decided to have you and my sister come along!"

"Why's Larry going?" Ivonne asked Ollie.

"Larry is married to Snaptrap's sister," he answered, "He's Snaptrap's brother-in-law."

"Geez, Ollie, do I tell people _your_ dark family secrets?!" Snaptrap exclaimed indignantly over his shoulder as he continued searching.

"Oh," Ivonne merely replied, "Well, that explains a lot." Snaptrap came stomping back to them, fists clenched in anger.

"Great! Just great!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air, "I can't find those stupid tickets anywhere! Now I'm never gonna hear the end of it from my mom! This is all your fault, Larry!"

It was then that Ollie noticed something sticking out of Snaptrap's tux. He tapped Snaptrap on the shoulder.

"Um, Boss, what're those?" He asked, pointing to the unidentified object.

Snaptrap looked to where Ollie was pointing. He pulled the object from his suit, revealing them to be the reservation tickets.

"Well, whaddaya know?" He said cheerfully, "I had them in my suit the whole time. Silly me."

"I told you, you never gave them to me," muttered Larry.

"Stop dwelling on the past Larry!" Snaptrap retorted, shoving his brother-in-law ahead of him, "Now let's get goin' before my mom starts yelling! Sheesh, She can break glass with that voice!"

"Boss, before you leave, may I ask a quick question?" Ollie asked politely.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Snaptrap cried, turning to him impatiently, "What is it?!"

"Did you, by any chance, receive a message today from Silas Mane?" Ollie inquired.

"Si who?" Snaptrap asked dumbly.

"You know, that lion chap who works at that organization we're working with." Ollie explained, "Ivonne here told me that he should've called over here earlier and let us know that she was coming."

Snaptrap just blinked. Then his eyes briefly widened as he remembered.

"Oh yeah," he replied casually, "He did call earlier today, something about computers…blah blah blah. Whatever. Can I go now?"

Ivonne watched pityingly as Ollie sighed hopelessly. She had to give him credit for his eternal patience.

"It was about computer upgrades for D.O.O.M., Boss," Ollie corrected tiredly, "You really should've mentioned something earlier."

"Sheesh, I mentioned it now didn't I?" Snaptrap replied, "Anyways if that's it, I'll be on my way."

"So…Ivonne can proceed with the upgrades then?" Ollie asked.

"Hey, if makes D.O.O.M. cooler, I'm all for it!" Snaptrap replied as he continued pushing Larry up the steps. Just then a screechy, raspy voice rang from upstairs.

"VERMINIOUS! WHAT THE HECK IS TAKING SO LONG?! GET YOUR USELESS TAIL UP HERE RIGHT NOW, YOU BUM!"

"ALRIGHT MOM! GEEZ! DON'T HAVE A COW!" Snaptrap shouted back.

"This is gonna be a looong night," Larry groaned.

"Can it, Larry!" Snaptrap snapped, "You're lucky I don't have time to throw you in the shark tank! Now move it!"

Everyone listened as the door upstairs opened and slammed shut. For a moment, there was an awkward silence, then Ollie turned to Ivonne with a sheepish smile. "So…I guess you can get started."

Ivonne just nodded, glancing cautiously up the stairs. "Um, yeah, so, where's the main computer?" She asked.

"Right this way," he replied. They were both silent as they walked into another room. Ivonne continually glanced at Ollie, feeling more anxious by the minute. _Ollie, please say something_, she thought pleadingly. Then, as if on cue, he spoke.

"So, er, how've you been doing?"

"I've… been doing fine," Ivonne answered somewhat awkwardly.

He nodded somewhat absentmindedly. "That's…great," he answered. They soon came to a giant screen with a large control panel. Ollie pressed one of the buttons and turned it on.

"I'm sure it's not as impressive as the ones you have," he chuckled half heartedly to Ivonne, "But it gets the job done." He politely held the chair for her, as she took a seat.

"You um, you mind if I watch you work?" He asked timidly.

Ivonne felt a glimmer of hope in her heart. "No!" She exclaimed a bit excitedly, "Um, no, not at all."

Ollie gave a small smile, a bit amused by her reaction. He stood quietly beside her as they waited for the computer to turn completely on. Ivonne stared at the screen then glanced at Ollie out of the corner of her eye. He too seemed to be taking quick side glances at her. _He's holding back_, Ivonne thought. After some more uncomfortable silence, Ollie finally spoke.

"Ivonne? May-may I speak to you for a moment, in private?

Ivonne looked straight at him, the glimmer of hope growing even more. "Sure," she answered softly. Ollie began to look around as if searching for a perfect place to talk. Then an idea came to him.

"The roof," he said pointing upwards, "C'mon, I promise I won't be long." Ivonne nodded and followed him, her heartbeat quickening with each step. They both walked through the main hall, just as Francisco and Bad Dog were getting ready to leave.

"Where are you two going?" Ollie asked.

"Eh, we decided to head out and play a little pool," Francisco answered, "It's dull around here. Besides, the pool place won't be too crowded with everyone out for Valentine's. You guys wanna come?"

"Er, no thanks, Chum, you two go on ahead," Ollie answered, trying to sound casual, "We're just going to stay here and see about those upgrades."

"Hey wait," said Francisco, "Where are _you_ two goin' exactly?"

Ollie seemed lost for an answer, then Ivonne spoke up. "To the roof," she answered quickly, "I…can't find the disk with the upgrade download. I think I might've dropped it up there."

"Why would it be up there?" Francisco asked suspiciously.

Ivonne folded her arms and sighed impatiently. "Because _I_ had to go up on the roof to see if anyone was here, because _no one_ was answering the door, because _your boss_ forgot to mention about the call that told you _I_ was coming!"

"Okay, okay, no need to get your tail in a twist," Francisco answered, backing off, "Anyways, it looks like you guys will have the place to yourselves for awhile. Behave you two."

Francisco and Bad Dog began laughing uproariously as they exited the lair out the main hallway. Ollie turned to Ivonne looking somewhat embarrassed. "Heh, yes, um, shall we continue?"

Ivonne smiled shyly and waved her hand towards the stairs that led to the roof. "Lead the way," she answered.

They made their way up the stairway and onto the roof top. Ivonne noticed there was a full moon out, casting a soft glow all around. She could recall the many times she and Ollie had gazed at the full moon on their night missions. She continued following him until he stopped, just past the giant smokestacks.

Ivonne stood beside Ollie, watching him expectantly. He just stood silently, staring out across the horizon. He then took a deep breath and turned to her.

"Ivonne," he began nervously, "A-About what happened today, at the park, um, I'm…I'm sorry if I startled you. You know with my gift. I…I was just trying to do something nice for you."

Ivonne looked at him sweetly, "I know you were," she answered gently, "I'm…I'm sorry about the way I acted. I know I was out of line." She stared down at the ground, ashamed. "I'm sorry I called your gift stupid," she apologized, "It wasn't. The truth is…I really did think it was lovely. I still do."

This statement seemed to brighten Ollie's spirits a bit. "Really?" He replied, sounding a bit hopeful, "Then…then why…"

"I was afraid," Ivonne interrupted, "I…I've had a lot on my mind lately, and it's been stressing me out, and I took it out on you."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Ollie replied, "But what were you afraid of?"

Ivonne just stayed quiet, still staring at the floor. Ollie watched her, feeling concerned. Gathering his courage, he reached out and took her hand. She looked up at him as he began to speak quickly.

"Ivonne, you…you remember what you told me when we started working together? About how you'll never fall in love with me and that I wasn't to make any advances and, and things like that?

He paused for a moment as he took another deep breath. Ivonne just nodded, feeling her heart beating even faster. He continued, slowing down a bit.

"Well, the thing is, first of all I respected your wishes, I really did, but as time went on and I got to know you better…well, you see I…"

"Ollie, you care about me don't you?" Ivonne asked suddenly.

Ollie jerked back, stunned that Ivonne knew and how quick she got to the point. Ivonne just smiled fondly at him, in a way that she never did before, which made his face feel warm.

"Well,I…yes," he admitted, "Yes, I do care about you…very much." He looked embarrassed. "Was it really that obvious?"

"A little," Ivonne admitted with a giggle, "But, I never knew how you truly felt until tonight."

Ollie look perplexed. "Tonight?"

Ivonne shyly brushed away a lock of her hair. "I was on the roof longer than you thought. I…I listened in to what you said to Francisco on the roof, and what you said to yourself."

Ollie's face turned a bright shade of red as his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You did?" He said in a little squeak.

Ivonne nodded. "You really feel that way about me?"

"I…I," Ollie stuttered, still recovering from the small shock, "Y-Yes. Yes, I do feel that way. I've felt that way for a long time."

Ivonne blushed slightly, "Oh Ollie…"

"You're…you're an amazing woman, Ivonne," Ollie stated, sounding less nervous, "You're intelligent, clever, graceful, resourceful, and many other wonderful things. Me? I…I know I'm not much. I'm not buff or very talented. I'm not like that Terrence fellow or the other men at your work. I'm just a plain looking, buck toothed opossum from England. But, I really do care about you…much more than a partner, and friend. And seeing how your attitude towards me changed…it made me feel… like someone special, someone who was worth talking to. When you laugh, it lifts my spirits sky high. When you smile at me, it makes my whole day. When you're sad I desperately wish that I knew how to help you. With you, there's much more to my world than D.O.O.M. and fighting T.U.F.F. I see that there are other things that are much more worthwhile…_you're_ much more worthwhile."

He looked her straight in the eye. "I…I love you, Ivonne," he said softly.

Ivonne felt as if her heart was soaring through the clouds. She closed her eyes, trying to calmly take it all in. Ollie watched her anxiously. "Well, say something," he pleaded.

Ivonne gently opened her eyes and looked straight at Ollie. Her emerald green eyes seemed to glow. "The truth is," she said softly, "I feel the same way about you."

Ollie's blue eyes lit up the night. "You do?! But, I thought…"

Ivonne held up her hand. "I know what I said when our organizations started this partnership," she continued, "And to be honest, I was a bit shallow with you. I took one look at you and thought that this was going to be a nightmare. I thought you were weak, a…a fool. But then, as we went on more missions, as I saw you more and got to see and know what kind of guy you were, I began to see that…maybe I was wrong. You had good common sense, clever ideas, and were very polite…even sometimes when I was rude to you. You proved yourself to be a capable and dependable partner."

Ivonne smiled as she saw Ollie's face brighten even more. She continued. "I started to look forward to seeing you. I enjoyed talking to you. You weren't like some of the other men I've dealt with at work." A sad expression suddenly appeared on her face. "My work," she said quietly. It all came back to her again, the plan her problem…

Ollie stared in surprise as tears started to form in her eyes. He took her hand again, worry in his eyes. "Ivonne, what's wrong?"

She looked at him. She had to tell him. It was now or never. "Oh, Ollie, I care about you…more than you know. You've made my world brighter than it's ever been. I don't want you to get hurt. And that's why… I can't do this."

"Do what?" Ollie asked, "What are you talking about?"

"The plan, Ollie, I can't go through with it," Ivonne replied, her voice starting to shake.

"The plan? You mean to destroy T.U.F.F.?" Ollie said, still not understanding, "Of course you can, why wouldn't…."

"No, Ollie! It's not what you think!" Ivonne cried, "The plan, my boss' plan, it's not just to destroy T.U.F.F. My boss is going to double cross Snaptrap. Him, you, your friends, all of D.O.O.M. is going to be destroyed along with T.U.F.F."

Ollie stared at Ivonne blankly. None of what she said seemed to be registering. She might as well have told him that he had two heads. "You're…you're pulling my tail, Ivonne," he said with a shaky laugh, "This is some sort of joke right?"

Ivonne just stared back at him, her face full of sorrow. And then Ollie knew, to his dismay, she wasn't joking. He could feel his heart starting to break. He stepped closer to her, looking as if he were suddenly in a trance.

"You're serious," he said in a hoarse voice.

She just nodded. Ollie couldn't believe it…he wouldn't believe it. But her expression said it all. He felt as if he were walking a tightrope only to find the rope was tearing, and there was no net underneath. He knew he had to ask. He didn't want to, he was afraid to…but he had to.

"Ivonne," he asked slowly, "What's really going on?

Ivonne rubbed her arm in shame. She knew she had to tell him everything now. There was no turning back.

Ollie stayed in complete stunned silence as Ivonne went through the whole story: What happened after they first met, how his crush on her gave her boss the idea to use D.O.O.M., and how she was to use Ollie to give her any information that might be of use to the organization. She even told him what the plan was and her real purpose for going to D.O.O.M. that night. Ollie's expression remained the same throughout the whole explanation: confused, hurt, and disbelieving…just like at the park. When she finished, she looked away, unable to face him.

"Ollie," she said, on the verge of crying, "I'm so sorry."

Ollie made no reply. He was still trying to register everything she had told him. He turned around and walked to the wall that ran along the roof edge. Ivonne watched him, tears streaming down her face. _I lost him_, she thought mournfully, _I said I wouldn't, but I did. He hates me now. I've lost everything._

Ollie stared out across the horizon, feeling as if his whole world had shattered completely. Just when he felt happier then he ever had been in his whole life, he was betrayed...betrayed by the one woman that had started to mean more to him than anything in the world. He began to feel angry, angry at her for fooling him, and angry at himself for being a complete idiot. He had suspicions when her boss first proposed the idea of a partnership, but immediately cast them aside when she was to be his partner. He had put aside his common sense for a pretty face. He looked back at her, and saw the expression on her face.

His anger then subsided for a moment. She was still standing there with her arms wrapped around her, staring at the ground with tears falling from her face. Ollie continued to stare, a bit puzzled. He had never seen her like this before. Yes, she did get sad sometimes, but nothing ever like this. She looked so downcast, so lost, so sorrowful. Could she truly have feelings for him? He turned back around. What if this was another trick? What if she was just acting? Playing him?

He drummed his fingers on the wall, thinking deeply. How she was right now, it reminded him of the scene she made in the park. At least now he knew the reason for her strange behavior earlier that day. Then something dawned on him. How she acted in the park, that wasn't the first time she displayed that odd behavior. There were other times when they would be having a pleasant time only for her to suddenly try to distant herself from him. And all those times she did, she had the same distressed expression. Could it be because…she truly was concerned for him? That she really did care about him? That she loved him?

A tap on his shoulder brought Ollie out of his thoughts. He whirled around and found himself facing Ivonne. Her eyes were dry, though her face was now stained from tears. Saying nothing, she took his hand and pressed something into it. He stared at the round item in his hand. It was a computer cd. He looked back at her. "What's this?" He asked.

"That's the special virus protection my boss' scientists developed," Ivonne explained, "My boss is giving them to his agents to install in their laptops and computers for protection against the worm. You can use it to protect D.O.O.M.'s computers."

She then took out another cd, a different color than the first. With both hands, she snapped it nimbly in two and let the pieces drop onto the ground.

"That was the disk to give your computers the so called upgrades," she continued, "At least now you'll have a chance when the plan is put into action."

Ollie stared down at the broken pieces then back up to Ivonne, perplexed. She stared back at him regretfully.

"I love you, Ollie," she said seriously, "I really do. You made my life in that place bearable. I didn't think I was capable of ever feeling anything again in that place until I met you. You made me happy in that dark world. I constantly agonized over what I should do about this, and saw that this was the only way. At least now I know you have a chance against my boss."

She turned and began to walk away. Ollie took a step forward. "Where are you going?" He asked.

Ivonne continued walking, not looking back. "I'm leaving," she replied.

"Back to work?" Ollie asked.

"Back to my apartment to pack," Ivonne explained, "I'm leaving Petropolis."

"WHAT?!" Ollie exclaimed.

Ivonne stopped and turned around to face him. "I can't stay here, Ollie, not after I told you everything. My boss will find out sooner or later if I stay. I'll only bring danger to you, my friend Ava, and others I care about. I have to leave. It's the only way."

Ollie stared blankly at her. She stared back sadly, her voice full of sadness and regret: "Goodbye, Ollie."

She turned around again and continued to walk away. She hadn't got far when suddenly she felt something grab her by the hand. She quickly turned around to find Ollie holding her back, a look of determination on his face.

"Who is your boss?" He demanded.

Ivonne tried to pry his hand off. "Ollie, please..."

"Tell me who he is!" Ollie ordered, tightening his grip, "Or last least show me what he looks like! If you're being truly honest with me, then you can at least show me who's running this whole blasted thing!"

Ivonne stared at Ollie pleadingly. The look in his face told her he wouldn't let her go unless she complied. She gave a hopeless sigh and cooperated. "Alright."

Reaching into a pouch on her belt, she pulled out her phone. Scanning through some images, she finally found the one she was searching for. "Ava accidentally took our boss' picture when she borrowed my phone one day," Ivonne explained, "I keep forgetting to delete it."

She held the image up to Ollie. He looked at it, then jerked back in fright. The image wasn't too clear but he could see the powerful figure well enough to make out what species of animal it was. It was an wolverine, a creature known for being one of the most ferocious species in the animal kingdom. Large, frightening, powerful looking, it's eyes were calm and serious, yet menacing. Underneath those eyes was a long row of sharp teeth, two which protruded out like the fangs of a saber-toothed tiger. A sharp, lethal, enormous metal claw made up the right hand. The left hand was normal, but just as large and threatening with sharp, black glistening claws. Ollie stared at the image in fright.

"_That's_ your boss?" He whispered hoarsely.

Ivonne nodded. "His name's Ripclaw," she said quietly, as if the name were taboo, "He's a type of crime boss...has been for years. He has others do his dirty work while he directs and oversees things from behind the scenes, like a puppet master. That's why no one has been able to pin any crimes on him so far. He kidnaps people that have potential to be agents for him. That's how I ended up in this. Ripclaw is cunning, intelligent, oppressive and cruel. He can be calm at times, but when he loses his temper…well, it's not a pleasant sight. See Ollie? That's why I have to leave. If I don't, _this_ is what will be coming for us. Please just let me go!"

"Wait!" Ollie cried, grabbing her hand again, "Ivonne…"

"Ollie please!"

"Let me say something!"

"Just leave me alone!"

"Ivonne will you just please..GAAAAAHHHH!"

Ivonne let out a cry of shock as something knocked Ollie to the side, making him release her hand, and her fall to the ground. She slowly sat up, shaking the dizziness from her head. She saw Ollie lying on the ground, struggling to get up. Standing over him was the figure of another opossum with a long tail. It was Terrence. Ivonne was horrified.

"Terrence?!" She cried fearfully, "What're you doing here?!"

Terrence's gaze stayed focused on Ollie as he explained. "I heard you were coming here tonight and decided to check on things. Good thing I did or who knows what this punk would've done."

Ivonne then realized that Terrence must have seen Ollie grab her hand, heard them shouting, and figured she was in trouble. She had to convince him that everything was alright or else things would get worse.

"No, Terrence! It's okay!" She cried, getting up shakingly to her feet, "There's no…"

"Let me handle this!" Terrence snapped back at her. Seeing this as his chance to win her affection, he turned savagely to Ollie, who had just gotten up.

"Thought you'd try something funny, huh, Punk?" He growled, "Trying to put the moves on Ivonne were ya'? Let's see just how well you can handle yourself in a fight. I've been waiting for this."

He cracked his long, whip-like tail against the ground threateningly. "Come one! Let's see what you got!" He challenged to the British opossum. "One on one, D.O.O.M. agent! It's just you and me now!"

* * *

**Ooohh, things are not looking good for our two sweethearts. **

**So, now you know what animal Ivonne's boss is as well as his name. "Ripclaw"...sounds like a fun guy. **

**Terrence shows up once again to ruin everything. Darn him. Even if Ollie wins, what'll he and Ivonne do now? Will he stand by her? Will she end up leaving?**

**Next chapter: Ollie vs. Terrence! Who will win?! Fight! Fight!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Ollie vs Terrence

**Ollie and DOOM (c) Butch Hartman**

**All other characters mentioned here belong to me.**

* * *

Ollie watched Terrence cautiously as he circled him. He then looked past him and saw Ivonne watching them both fearfully. His mind raced. Judging by Terrence's remark, he didn't know about Ivonne's confession. But what if he did end up finding out? Ivonne would be taken back, back to that…creature of a boss. Who knows what would happen to her. He glanced towards Ivonne once again, while still keeping a wary eye on Terrence. No. Even if she did trick him, he couldn't let that happen. But he didn't want to raise a commotion either. He decided to first try a civil approach.

"Terrence, if I may say something," he tried to explain as calmly as he could while slowly walking towards him, "You've got it all wrong. I wasn't trying anything. It was just a stupid argument. Just let me…"

WHACK!

Ollie gave a yelp of pain, as Terrence's tail cracked against the side of his snout. A sharp, stinging sensation ran throughout his entire face. He clasped his hand to the spot where the tail struck. An ugly red welt immediately began to form. Tears welled up in Ollie's eyes, the pain was so bad. Terrence gave a mocking laugh.

"Aww, gonna cry, Ollie?" He scoffed, "Well, now you know why they call me "Whiptail!"

Ollie glared angrily at Terrence. _Well, so much for being civil_, he thought. There was no way the brash opossum was going to stand still and listen to reason. It seemed the only way to get him to do that, was to fight…and win. Seeing that he had no other choice, Ollie braced him self where he stood, watching Terrence very carefully. The long tailed opossum eyed him coolly, a smirk upon his face.

Suddenly, Terrence charged at him full speed. Ollie did the same, preparing to take a full swing at him. Then at the last moment, Terrence dodged to the side, while at the same time, whipping his tail towards Ollie's right eye. It only struck the edge, but it was enough to cause it to water, making its vision blurry. Ollie cried out in agony and held his hand to his eye, grimacing in pain. Terrence grinned triumphantly. _This shouldn't take long,_ he thought smugly, _Soon I'll be in Ivonne's favor_.

He was about to make another charge when someone grabbed his shoulder. It was Ivonne trying desperately to break up the fight. "Terrence, stop!" She shouted, "It's okay! Please don't…"

Terrence wrenched his shoulder away. "Stay outta this, Ivonne! I told you I'd handle it! This punk's not gonna bother you again, I'll see to that!"

Before Ivonne could stop him, he charged at Ollie again, who was in a kneeling position, still tending to his sore eye. He squinted through his left one and saw Terrence rushing straight at him. He had to think fast. Just as Terrence was upon him, Ollie fell to the ground and instinctively kicked out with his right foot. Just as he had hoped, Terrence trip over it and went tumbling to the ground, his chin scraping against the rough roof top. He growled as his chin throbbed with pain. Ivonne watched the whole thing anxiously. It looked like she was going to need backup to break up this fight. Backup? Of course! Ava! Ivonne turned her wrist communicator on and spoke.

"Ava? Ava! Please come in! Please!" She waited anxiously for a reply. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she heard the voice of her friend.

"Ivonne? What's going on? You sound panicked."

"I am panicking!" Ivonne blurted out, while keeping an eye on the two fighting opossums, "Terrence is here being an idiot and he and Ollie are fighting!"

"What?!" Ava exclaimed in a shrill voice, "Fighting! What for? What the heck is Terrence doin' there anyway?! Are they fighting over you?"

"What?! No?!" Ivonne cried, "Terrence thought Ollie was attacking me and now he's trying to be all macho hero guy! You see I…I told Ollie everything and we started to argue and…just please get over here!"

"You whaaaaa?!" Ava practically screamed, "Omigosh! Does Terrence…"

"No, he doesn't know! Ava, please, just get over here, now! I think I'm really gonna need your help!"

"Hold on, Girl, I'm coming!" Ava cried.

"We're on top of the D.O.O.M. roof!" Ivonne added before she turned her attention to the ruckus behind her. Both Ollie and Terrence were now rolling around on the ground, punching, biting, scratching and kicking. Growls and angry hissing noises could be heard from both opponents. Ivonne sighed in exasperation. _Men_, she thought in disbelief. She had to stop this. Terrence soon got the upper hand and had Ollie pinned to the ground. Before the British opossum could get him off, Terrence wrapped his tail around Ollie's thin neck and slowly began to strangle him.

"I'm not gonna do you in, D.O.O.M. loser," he hissed, "I'm just gonna do enough to make you pass out. That'll teach you to try to get all cozy with Ivonne."

"No!" Ivonne screamed. She ran full speed at Terrence and leaped as high as she could in the air towards them, in a flying kick. The sole of her boot made contact with Terrence's shoulder, knocking him off Ollie and sending him skidding across the ground on his other shoulder. Ollie lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Ivonne knelt next to him and gently lifted his head up to her.

"Ollie! Are you alright?" She asked with great worry.

"Y-Yes!" Ollie gasped in a hoarse voice, "I'm…fine! Nothing a bit…of lemon tea…couldn't cure!"

Ivonne couldn't help but smile in amusement at the irrepressible Englishman. "Oh, Ollie…"

Terrence shakily got to both feet, rubbing his sore shoulder. He looked up at the scene before him in disbelief. Ivonne was helping Ollie up! He stared stupidly as she scolded him.

"Terrence! What's wrong with you?! Ollie wasn't making any advances towards me! I'm just here to give D.O.O.M.'s computers an upgrade, and we got into a small argument, that's all! He didn't mean any harm!"

Ivonne looked at Ollie. "I'm really sorry about this."

Terrence couldn't believe it. Here he was, trying to help her, and _he_ was the one getting scolded! She was taking Ollie's side! A fury of rage built up inside Terrence. No way that stupid D.O.O.M. agent was going to make him look like a fool! With a snarl, he ran straight at them. Ivonne saw Terrence rushing towards them and bravely stood between him and Ollie.

"Terrence wait! Calm down…AAAHH!"

Terrence was so determined to get at Ollie that he shoved Ivonne aside…a little too hard. She fell with a cry of terror as her head struck against a lengthy piece of pipe that ran across the roof, and lay still.

"IVONNE!" Ollie shouted in horror. Before he could react, Terrence rammed into him, sending him sprawling to the ground. He lay there for a bit, stunned, then struggled to get up as Terrence glared at him with great hatred. As Ollie sat up, he looked to where Ivonne lie. Terrence followed his gaze and jerked back in shock, seeing what he had done. Ollie stared at Ivonne's motionless body, his face a picture of despair. A sudden change came over the normally level headed opossum. His eyes narrowed and the fur on the back of his neck rose. He fixed a piercing glare at Terrence.

"You…" he hissed in a dark voice. Terrence took a step back, frightened by the sudden change in Ollie's countenance. Ollie slowly got up, his gaze fixed on his rival. He walked slowly towards him, his voice full of menace. "You…did… this!"

With a growling hiss Ollie made a rush a Terrence. Before Terrence could react, Ollie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Bunching up his fist, he swung as hard as he could, striking Terrence right in the jaw. The long tailed opossum went flying towards the ground with a loud thud. He placed both hands upon his jaw, which immediately started to swell up. Terrence gazed at Ollie in total shock. The tall opossum stared back at him, eyes full of disgust. He was about to attack again, when he spotted the still lifeless form of Ivonne nearby. He then realized this was no time for fighting. Struggling to hold back his anger, Ollie ran straight towards Ivonne. He stooped down to pick her up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Terrence asked, recovering quickly from his shock.

Ollie didn't even bother to look at him. "I'm going to get her some help."

Terrence sprang to his feet and rushed over, giving Ollie's hand a sharp whack with his tail. Ollie gripped onto his hand, his teeth clenching from the sting.

"Oh no, you don't!" Terrence snarled, "You're not gonna be the hero here!"

"What are you talking about?" Ollie exclaimed through gritted teeth, "Ivonne's hurt!"

"And I'm gonna be the one to rescue her," Terrence demanded, "So get your tail back inside your lame headquarters, and let me handle this."

Ollie stared at Terrence unintimidated. Ignoring him, he resumed picking Ivonne up. "I don't have time for this," he muttered.

Terence growled and leaped at Ollie. Once again they started to wrestle on the ground. However, the anger and distress Ollie had over Ivonne's incident made him fight back stronger and more ruthlessly. He swung left and right at Terrence, making a few connections. Terrence managed to get on top of him again, but Ollie then began to violently kick upward with his feet, scratching Terrence's sides with his foot claws. Terrence gasped in pain and rolled off of Ollie. As he did, his tail whipped out and struck twice back and forth across Ollie's face. Ollie shook his head fervently, trying to shake off the pain. He couldn't deal with much more of this. He was feeling exhausted from the fight and Ivonne still needed help. And Terrence's long tail gave him the advantage as did his strength. _If I could just do something about that blasted tail_, Ollie thought to himself.

That's when he spied another pipe, next to the one that Ivonne had struck. It too ran parallel across part of the roof. An idea suddenly dawned on him. He may not be able to outfight Terrence…but he could try to outsmart him. The idea he had was risky, but it was his only chance. Ollie watched Terrence as he rose to his feet, his shirt torn on the sides where Ollie scratched him. He was more than angry now, he was downright furious. Ollie eyed Terrence challengingly, gesturing for him to "bring it on." Terrence began to walk towards him slowly, baring his sharp teeth.

"You're dead," he breathed darkly.

Ollie began to back away towards the pipe, all the while eyeing Terrence cautiously. He had to get this right. Suddenly Terrence sprung at him. Ollie immediately did the same and the two were in a hand lock. Both opossums stared down each other, both determined to finish as the victor. They grunted as they both pushed with all their might, trying to knock the other down. All the while, Ollie was directing them both to the pipe. Suddenly, Terrence whipped his tail around Ollie's legs and gave a sharp tug, causing him to fall flat on his back. He then began to whip mercilessly at the D.O.O.M. agent. Ollie curled him self up and covered his face to protect himself against the ruthless onslaught, crying out in pain at each hit.

"Ya like that, Wimp?!" Terrence hissed through clenched teeth. "Think you're better than me just cause Ivonne took your side? Because you're both working together? Time someone took you down a notch!

He continued with his brutal attack, while poor Ollie tried to shield him self. Finally, Terence ceased his attack to see the job he had done so far. Ollie's face was covered in red welts, as were his hands from trying to protect his face. He glanced up at Terrence painfully…then passed out. Terrence gave Ollie an experimental nudge with his foot…no reaction. He stepped closer to him and bent down a bit, observing him closely. The beating must've been too much for the British opossum and caused him to pass out. A smug, cruel grin formed on Terrence's face. He won. He knew that stupid Ollie didn't have what it took to beat him. What would you expect from a D.O.O.M. agent? Terrence turned to where Ivonne still lied. Now to get her some help. It shouldn't be too hard to switch this whole thing to his favor.

He was about to walk over to her, when he suddenly felt something strike his leg, knocking him flat on his face. Taken by complete surprise, Terrence dizzily started to raise himself up, only to feel something push down on his back, forcing him back to the ground. It was Ollie! He had struck out with one leg and knocked Terrence off his feet, and was now sitting on top of him. Wrapping his own tail around Terrence's legs to keep them from moving, Ollie quickly grabbed Terrence's arms and brought them around his back. He then grabbed Terrence's tail with one hand and brought it around the parallel pipe. In a flash, he tied Terrence's hands up tightly behind his back, with his own long tail. Ollie then got up and stood back breathing heavily. Terrence struggled all he could, but to no avail. He was stuck. He growled in frustration and stared at Ollie with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"How…?" He began to ask.

Ollie managed to give a weak smirk. "You should've remembered that our species are most famous for playing dead, Terrence."

Terrence's eyes grew as big as saucers. He let out a howl of rage as he struggled to get free.

"That should hold you until I get Ivonne out of here," Ollie stated, almost out of breath. The fight had taken a lot out of him. He limped over to where the poor female opossum still lie. He slowly bent down and carefully began to lift her head.

"Don't worry, Ivonne, I'll…"

Ollie got no further. Something grabbed him by his ears and pulled him back roughly, sending him on his back. He sat up immediately, and saw a sturdy male kangaroo looking straight at him. It was K.O., Terrence's friend. He grinned mockingly.

"Surprise," he said with a laugh. Ollie turned towards Terrence who also began to laugh.

"You didn't think I came by myself, did you Ollie?" He sneered. Rule #1 of being a secret agent: Always have backup."

Before Ollie could reply, he felt himself being lifted up off the ground. He was set back down on his feet and had both his arms bent behind his back, just as he had done with Terrence. Something big and strong kept them there. It was Steeltusk, Terrence's muscular elephant friend. He held Ollie's hands back with his powerful hands and had his trunk wrapped around Ollie's neck, keeping the lanky opossum still. While he held him, K.O. went to free Terrence.

"We came as soon as we saw you were in trouble, Terrence," K.O. explained as he untied him. Terrence rose to his feet, whipping his tail experimentally.

"A minor setback," he replied casually. He fixed a piercing stare on Ollie. "Now to deal with you."

Ollie struggled in Steeltusk's grasp, but it was no use. They had him right where they wanted him. He gazed anxiously at Ivonne, and then looked pleadingly at his captors.

"Look, before you have a go at me, at least get Ivonne some help," he asked desperately, "We can't just leave her like that."

K.O. and Steeltusk looked to where the still form of poor Ivonne lie. Ollie gazed helplessly at her.

"Please, someone has to help her," he pleaded.

"I'll help her," Terrence spoke, "You two stay here and teach this guy a lesson."

"I suppose it's the least you could do," Ollie replied angrily, "You're the one that made her like that!"

Terrence whirled around and gave Ollie a brutal slap with his tail. This time, Ollie made no sound, though his eyes watered a bit. He just stared back stubbornly at Terrence.

"You've got a mouth on you, Punk!" Terrence snapped, "We'll have to fix that! Steel, hold him steady, I need a still target."

Steeltusk looked at Terrence questioningly. "But, what about Ivonne?" He asked.

"This won't take long," Terrence replied darkly. He began to whirl his tail around, getting ready. Ollie braced him self for another onslaught. Terrence drew his tail back, about to strike.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, TERRENCE!"

Everyone turned to see Ava coming out of the shadows, her blaster aimed and ready. Ollie breathed a great sigh of relief. _Perfect timing_, he thought. Ava kept her blaster aimed at Terrence as she spoke to Steeltusk.

"Let 'im go, Tusk," she ordered.

The elephant was about to comply when Terrence interrupted. "What're you doing here?"

"I received a distress message from Ivonne about a fight," Ava explained, keeping her blaster at ready. "Where is- Oh my gosh!"

Ava clasped her hand to her mouth in shock as she spotted Ivonne lying on the ground. She glared at the others accusingly. "What did you do?!"

"Ollie shoved her and her head struck that pipe!" Terrence exclaimed, pointing at Ollie, "They were having an argument and he got outta' control!"

"WHAT!" Ollie shouted at the top of his lungs, "THAT'S ABSURD!"

"Oh right!" Terrence scoffed, "I saw you both arguing. I saw you grab her hand. She was practically trying to pry you off!"

"But, but, you…she," Ollie sputtered, still stunned from Terrence's false accusation.

Ava looked from Ollie to Terrence then back to Ollie. She raised one eye skeptically.

"Ollie?" She asked, insinuating that she wanted an explanation from him.

"Ava, I swear, I didn't hurt Ivonne in any way, and I never would," Ollie explained hastily, "Yes, we argued and I grabbed her hand, but that was it. Terrence knocked her down trying to get at me!"

"You'd say anything to make yourself look good, wouldn't you?" Terrence spat.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Everyone leaped in fear at the roaring voice, which seemed to have come from out of no where. Out of the shadows materialized the robust form of Silas Mane. He cast a wary eye across the scene and spotted Ivonne. He quickly rushed over to her, fuming.

"What happened here? Someone explain right now!"

"S-Silas?!" Terrence gulped, "W-What are you doing here?!"

Silas examined Ivonne carefully while explaining. "I tried calling D.O.O.M. to see how Ivonne was doing with the upgrades. When no one answered, I then tried calling her wrist communicator. When she didn't answer, I thought I'd rush over to make sure nothing was wrong. It's a good thing I did."

Taking out a device from his pocket, he scanned Ivonne's entire body. He glanced at the readings carefully. "She'll be alright. There's no inner damage. She's just knocked out."

He gently lifted her up and nodded to the others. "Follow me. We'll settle this inside."

* * *

**Wooooo! What a fight! Ollie handled himself well, didn't he? Who knew he had it in him?**

**Ouch, poor Ivonne. Way to go, Terrence, you jerk. And yes, he really did try to blame Ollie. This chapter pretty showed you what kind of guy Terrence is. Good thing Ava and Silas showed up when they did. Well, looks like the gang's all here. Now what?**

**The exciting conclusion is next! **


	7. Chapter 7 - Together At Last

**Ollie, DOOM, and TUFF Puppy (c) Butch Hartman**

**Ivonne, Ava, Terrence, K.O., SteelTusk, and silas (c) Me**

* * *

Everyone followed Silas down the stairs into D.O.O.M. HQ, each one morbidly silent. When they entered the main chamber, Silas motioned them to stop. They watched as he carefully laid Ivonne down on an old couch. Placing a pillow under her head, he looked at Ollie.

"Do you have any medical supplies here?" He asked.

Ollie nodded. "Oh yes, plenty." Then he muttered off to the side: "We need them all the time."

Silas waved his hand at him as he spoke. "Bring me some bandages and a first aid kit. And bring some clean water as well."

Ollie nodded again and headed off to get the supplies. After making sure Ivonne was situated comfortably, Silas walked up to the others. Clasping his hands behind his back, he lectured them severely. "First let me explain," he explained in a low yet stern voice, "Ivonne was sent here on a special mission to upgrade D.O.O.M.'s computers, which would secretly plant a specially timed "worm" that would be activated once the plan is set into motion."

He glared at Terrence, "You're foolish actions could've jeopardized the mission! Explain yourself!"

Terrence gulped nervously, his confidence completely gone. "I-I was just checking on Ivonne, Sir. I heard she w-was coming here, so I decided to see if she needed any help. I traveled by rooftop and…when I came close to D.O.O.M., I saw her and Ollie arguing and…and I thought…"

"You thought you'd take care of it yourself," Silas finished for him, shaking his head. "We cannot afford to make enemies of D.O.O.M….not yet. You all know that."

Just then Ollie returned with the needed supplies. "Here you are Sir," he said, "Just like you asked."

Silas nodded approvingly. He motioned for Ollie to follow him to the couch. "Good, just set them down here and hand me whatever I ask."

"Right," Ollie replied, setting the supplies down near the couch. Silas pulled up an old footstool next to Ivonne and began to examine the spot where her head was struck. As he asked Ollie to hand him the items needed, he continued his questioning. "Ava, what exactly were _you_ doing here?"

"Ivonne called me on my wrist communicator and told me to hurry over," Ava explained, "She sounded really freaked out."

"And when you got here?"

"I saw Terrence, K.O. and Steeltusk gathered around Ollie. Tusk was holding him down. They looked like they were about to beat him."

Silas eyed Terrence and his friends sternly. The three squirmed under the lion's strong gaze. Terrence knew he had to save their skins…or rather _his_ skin.

"We-we had to hold him down! I mean, look what he did to Ivonne!" He exclaimed pointing accusingly at Ollie.

"Oh, don't start that hogwash again!" Ollie shouted.

"Quiet!" Silas roared. He started to wrap Ivonne's head with the bandage. He then turned to Ollie, "What have you to say about all this?"

Ollie handed him the scissors to cut the bandage as he explained. "Ivonne and I were just talking and got into a bit of an argument. I wasn't trying to hurt her, I swear. I tried to explain that to Terrence, but he wouldn't listen."

"How did Ivonne get like this?" Silas asked gruffly.

Ollie stared sadly at Ivonne. "She was trying to break up the fight. She got in between me and Terrence and got knocked into the pipe."

Silas eyed him up and down. "You're in pretty bad shape yourself."

Ollie cast an angry glare at Terrence. "You could say I was "whipped" into shape," he grumbled. Terrence just gave him a dirty look.

"Hmph," Silas growled, finishing the bandaging, "I'm not sure what to make of all this. The only way to find out is to ask Ivonne her self when she comes to."

************************************************** ******************************************

There wasn't really much to do as everyone waited for Ivonne to regain consciousness. Terrence, K.O., and Steel Tusk sat at the table where D.O.O.M. usually held their meetings, playing paper football. Ava, Ollie, and Silas, sat around Ivonne, watching and waiting. Ollie had a book with him to read but he hardly glanced at it. He was too worried about Ivonne and what they would both do after this whole thing blew over. Ivonne said that now that she had told Ollie everything, she would have to leave Petropolis, less her boss, Ripclaw, find out and do something to her and Ollie. She gave him the disk that would protect D.O.O.M.'s computers from the "worm", so that they at least would have a chance against her boss.

But there were two problems: First, Ivonne leaving wouldn't really solve anything, the plan would still be there. If D.O.O.M. ended up being defeated, then she would've left for nothing. And second, the most important: Ivonne would be gone…maybe forever. Ollie laid his book down and watched her, still unconscious. He thought back to the fight and how devastated he was when he saw her head hit that pipe. After that, he knew he didn't want her out of his life.

"You seem worried," said a deep voice beside him, it was Silas.

Ollie turned to him. "I-I am," he admitted. "Ivonne she..she's a nice girl."

"Hmm," Silas merely replied with a nod. A sudden groan caused everyone to stop what they were doing and focus their attention on the couch. Silas hurried over and examined Ivonne closely.

"She's coming to."

Everyone quickly gathered around the couch, watching anxiously as Ivonne began to stir. She slowly opened her eyes mumbling.

"Uh…wha…where am I…Terrence stop!" Silas held her back as she sat up in a panic.

"Calm down Ivonne, it's alright," he assured her in a surprisingly gentle voice, "You're inside D.O.O.M. headquarters."

Ivonne blinked and held her hand gently to her head. "Ugh, I feel like someone dropped a safe on me. What hap…" She paused as it all came back to her. She glared accusingly at Terrence.

"You pushed me!" She exclaimed in an outrage. Terrence took a step back, knowing that the jig was up.

"I-I was just…" He began weakly, not having any excuse.

"You were just losing your temper!" Ivonne snapped angrily. "I told you what happened, but no, you had to get in the last lick! She stopped and held her head as it began to throb.

Silas placed his hand on her shoulder. "Ivonne, settle down," he said firmly, "You shouldn't excite yourself after such trauma. Rest for a bit, then you can tell me everything." Ivonne was about to comply when she turned and noticed Ollie. She gasped in shock.

"Oh my gosh! Ollie, what happened to you?!"

Ollie looked him self over and discovered just how hard the fight was on him. His face and hands were covered with red welts, cuts, and blisters from the whipping he received from Terrence. His right eye was blood shot and bruised from the strike from Terrence's tail. His suit was dirty, ragged and torn in some spots. In other words, he looked a mess. Ivonne shot a furious look at Terrence.

"You…" she began, but Silas held up his hand.

"That's enough, Ivonne," he said, "Lie down and rest." He turned toward the others. "All of you go into the other room", he ordered, "I'll speak with Ivonne alone."

************************************************** ******************************************

It was quite some time before everyone was allowed back into the main lair. Silas stood with his arms folded while casting a stern eye over all of them. He gave Terrence a piercing glare.

"Terrence," he spoke with a low growl, "I'll see you and your friends out on the roof."

Terrence and K.O. exchanged worried glances and slowly followed Silas up the stairs. Steel Tusk, however, remained behind. He turned to Ivonne.

"Ivonne," he spoke somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry you got hurt. I was stunned myself to see Terrence shove ya' like that."

Ivonne just nodded at him. SteelTusk then turned to Ollie. "You're a good fighter, Possum, even I gotta admit that. Pretty smart how you tricked Terrence." He jerked his head towards Ivonne, "And you were obviously worried about her… more than he was." He held out a large hand to Ollie.

"You're alright," SteelTusk concluded.

Ollie jerked back in surprise. The last thing he expected after all this was the respect of one of Terrence's friends. He was dumbfounded for a moment, then he reached out and politely shook Steel Tusk's hand.

"Er, thank you, Steel Tusk," he replied, "That's…very decent of you." The hulking elephant nodded in reply, then turned and lumbered away up the stairs. After he left, Ivonne turned to Ollie.

"You must've put up quite a fight for Steel Tusk to say that," she said with a bit of awe, "He always admired some one who could hold their ground in a fight. Guess that's why he thinks so highly of me."

Ollie shrugged, a bit embarrassed by her words, "Well, I don't know if I put up that good of a fight. I mean, just look at me. I really only beat Terrence by outsmarting him."

Ivonne smiled, "You'll have to tell me how you did it, sometime." She sat up normally on the couch and motioned for him to sit next to her, to which Ollie gladly complied. Ivonne opened the first aid kit and began rummaging through it.

"What are you doing?" Ollie asked as she brought out some cotton balls and cleaning medicine.

"I'm going to see to those cuts," she explained as she applied the medicine to one of the cotton balls, "I don't want them to get infected. Hold still."

She began to gently dab the medicine on the red welts and cuts that swarmed Ollie's face. He winced as the medicine stung, but was delighted to be receiving such attention from her. Ava sat on a nearby chair, watching the whole thing.

"So…" she began quietly and seriously, "You told him?"

Ollie and Ivonne both turned to Ava at the same time, then exchanged glances. Ollie nodded. "Yes, I know everything."

Ava looked at one to the other, "So now what?"

Ivonne continued applying the medicine to Ollie's face while talking. "I'm going to leave Petropolis," she stated resolutely.

"WHAT!?" Ava exclaimed, then quickly lowered her voice, "Ivonne are you crazy?!"

"Exactly!" Ollie replied.

Ivonne looked at them both determinedly. "It's for the best," she said calmy, "Look you guys, if Ripclaw finds out that I told everything, he'll not only go after me, he'll after you two also: Ava, for knowing about all this, and Ollie for knowing about the plan. I don't want you both hurt because of me. When I get home, I'm packing up and leaving."

Ava and Ollie exchanged worried glances. Then Ollie spoke. "I was thinking about what you said while you were knocked out Ivonne, and I'm afraid there are a few flaws with your plan."

Ivonne stopped applying the medicine and stared at him stubbornly. "Like what?"

He sighed, "Well, you leaving may keep your boss from finding out about this, but that won't do anything to stop the plan. Even if you did give us the protection against the "worm," there's no guarantee that my D.O.O.M. chums and I will make it out alright."

Ivonne made no reply. Ollie continued, "And besides, won't you leaving all of a sudden only make Ripclaw suspicious?"

Ivonne rubbed her shoulder hesitantly. "Well, maybe," she admitted. She slumped down in the couch and sighed in defeat. "Okay, maybe I didn't think this all the way through. I…I was afraid… for me and you both."

Ollie looked at her sympathetically. "I know," he said gently, "You were only trying to do what you thought was best for all of us." He fiddled with his hands timidly. "Well…even if you were still going through with it, you'd still be overlooking the most important detail."

Ivonne looked at him curiously, "What's that?"

He smiled at her tenderly. "There was no way I was going to let you out of my life," he said softly.

Ivonne's eyes softened at his statement. Ollie continued. "Ivonne, when I saw you hit that pipe, I felt like the whole world collapsed under me. I realized at that moment that I didn't want to lose you. After we've come this far, I'd be crazy to let that happen."

Ivonne blushed lightly at his confession. Flustered, she picked up the cotton balls and medicine. "I-I better have a look at your hands." She took one of his hands and began to dab the medicine on it. When she looked up, she noticed Ollie still smiling at her. She shyly smiled back at him and gave a small laugh. "Hard to believe at one time I couldn't stand you. I mean, I practically hated your guts. I thought this partnership was going to be a total nightmare. I…"

"Um, I think I get it, Ivonne," Ollie interrupted.

Ivonne smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just that, it's so different now." She leaned forward and rubbed her nose against his- a nose nuzzle. _"Very_ different," she added softly. Ollie blushed to the tip of his nose and gave a silly grin. Ivonne smiled at him coyly. They started to lean towards each other, about to kiss. They then heard a happy sigh besides them. They turned and saw Ava watching them with a gleefully satisfied look on her face.

She waved her hand at them. "Don't mind me."

Embarrassed, Ollie and Ivonne immediately sat back up. "Aw, come on!" Ava exclaimed in disappointment, "I won't tell!"

Ivonne just rolled her eyes as she continued to attend to Ollie's hands. "We'll have to figure out something," she mentioned seriously to him.

"Yes, I suppose so," replied a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw Silas standing at the room entrance. Ollie, Ivonne, and Ava were all petrified with fear. The expression on Silas' face immediately revealed that he had heard everything.

Ivonne stared at him in horror. "Silas! I…It's not what you think! I…"

Silas silenced her with a raise of his hand, "There's no use lying to me, Ivonne, I heard everything. I sent Terrence and his friends back to headquarters and told them that I'd deal with them later. I had just come down the stairs when I heard you talking." He held up something in his claws. It was the two pieces of the "upgrade" disk that Ivonne had broken. "Well, that explains what _this_ was doing on the roof."

The three friends could only look at one another in devastation. Silas turned his attention to Ollie. "So…Ollie," he spoke, narrowing his eyes, "You know about everything then? The plan? The real reason for the upgrades?"

Ollie knew it would be useless to lie to the intuitive lion. He bravely, though shakily, stood up and looked Silas in the eye. "Yes," he tried answering as calmly as he could.

Silas took a step towards him. "You realize, of course, what must happen now?"

Ollie moved protectively closer to Ivonne. "I have a hunch," he responded.

Silas came closer to them. "You'll both have to come to headquarters with me."

"Silas…" Ivonne began pleadingly, but Ollie interrupted her.

"Ivonne's not going back to that place…or to that…that boss of yours."

Silas continued to slowly approach them. Ava ran forward to stop him. "Silas, please, don't!" She cried.

Silas, firmly pushed her aside, "You'll have to come back with me as well, Ava!" He growled. He looked back at Ollie, who was standing defensively in front of Ivonne. Silas smiled grimly. "So, you'd really try to protect her from me? You'd actually fight me?"

Ollie took up a fighting position, though it was clear he was nervous. "I f-fought Terrence, I c-can fight you."

"Ollie, no!" Ivonne cried. Ollie glanced back at her.

"You and Ava get ready to run," he whispered.

Ivonne shook her head, "I can fight him too."

"Not with your head still hurt," Ollie replied, "Don't worry about me."

A sudden roar brought them both to attention. Ollie turned just in time to see Silas spring right at him. Without thinking, Ollie ran straight at the mighty lion. They both collided and began to wrestle on the ground. It was soon clear though, that Silas had the upper hand. Ollie was still weak from the previous fight with Terrence, not to mention that Silas was many times stronger than him and had experience on his side.

"Run!" Ollie shouted at Ivonne and Ava, while trying to hold Silas off. Ivonne watched in horror at the brutal match. Her horror soon turned to determination. No. She wasn't going to run. Ollie needed her…and she needed him. She charged straight at the fighting pair, leaped onto Silas, and began to beat at him.

"Let him go!" She screamed, trying to get him in a choke hold. Silas grunted and struggled to get her off. He finally got a good grip and managed to toss her off onto the floor. Ivonne dizzily shook her head and turned to Ava who was trying to help her up.

"Ava, your blaster!" She cried. Ava quickly drew it and aimed, but it was futile.

"I can't get a lock on!" She exclaimed, "I can't risk hitting Ollie!" Suddenly, the struggle stopped as Silas had Ollie pinned to the ground. Holding Ollie down with one hand, he raised the other, bearing his sharp claws. He stared Ollie down, exposing his sharp teeth.

"So, you really would go this far for Ivonne…even at the price of your life?" He snarled.

Ollie stared at him defiantly. "Gladly," he growled.

Silas made ready to strike. Ollie braced him self. This was it. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel the long claws slice through his neck. Nothing happened. Ollie opened his eyes and risked a glance. To his complete shock…Silas was smiling. Not an evil grin, but a genuine, satisfied smile. He lowered his hand and nodded approvingly. "Well done, Ollie."

Ollie was dumbfounded as Silas casually stood up and brushed himself off. The opossum glanced over at Ivonne and Ava who were clearly just as stunned as he was. Silas extended his hand out to Ollie. "It seems you are on the level," he remarked.

Ollie slowly sat up, still wary of the lion. "On the level? Hold on, what's going on here?! First you try to kill me and now you're acting as if nothing happened!"

Silas nodded understandingly, "I'm sorry I had to be so rough, but I had to make sure you could be trusted. I'll explain everything."

Ollie was still doubtful, but he offered his hand to Silas and allowed him to help him up. Silas turned to the two girls, "Ava, Ivonne, forgive me, I couldn't take any risks with this."

Ava and Ivonne exchanged confused glances. "Take risks with what? Ivonne asked, "Silas what on earth is going on?"

Silas shushed her and looked around. "Sit down and I'll explain everything," he said in a low voice. He turned to Ollie, "Does Snaptrap keep this place video monitored?"

Ollie shook his head, "Um, no, though we have suggested it…hundreds of times."

"Good," Silas replied, as he ushered everyone to the couch. He waited for them to be seated then spoke.

"I know you all must think I've gone mad. I assure you I had my reasons for this." He turned to Ivonne. "Actually, Ivonne, for a while I suspected that you had feelings for Ollie."

Ivonne jerked back in surprise. "You…you did?"

He nodded. "I noticed a few changes with you. You seemed happier, a little more relaxed, lighthearted, different from your usual attitude. Of course, that wasn't enough to confirm anything. It wasn't until I heard you and Ava talking in that storage facility, that I was certain. Yes, I heard you both talking. I wanted to confront it with you tonight, after you got home from your assignment, but, of course, it didn't quite work out that way." He clasped his hands behind his back and continued, "Then I overheard you three talking about the plan, and I knew that you had told Ollie about it. Well, seeing as he already knew, I had no choice but to test him."

"Test me?" Ollie interrupted, "What on earth for?"

Silas shrugged, "To see if you truly meant what you said to Ivonne, about not wanting to lose her, to see if you really did care for her. That's why I acted the way I did. I'm sorry if I was a bit rough, but I had to make it look convincing."

Ivonne spoke, "But Silas, why would you care about any of that?"

Silas looked at her and Ava seriously, "Because Ollie here might be your chance of you both leaving Ripclaw and his organization."

"WHAT?!" All three exclaimed at once.

Silas motioned for them to be quiet. He then took a seat in an armchair and eyed each of them. "There's something you should know about the plan," he said in a grave voice, "It's not what you think. Yes, Ripclaw will send out a "worm", yes it will put a stop to everything, and yes, he will turn on D.O.O.M. and try to destroy it and T.U.F.F. But there's one thing he's kept hidden from us, and by "us" I mean those who work for him." He leaned forward in his chair. "At some point during the execution of the plan," he said in a whisper, "Ripclaw is going to turn on his own agents. He's going to double-cross us all."

"What?!" Ivonne cried, "Silas, you can't be serious!"

Silas nodded gravely, "I'm very serious, Ivonne. Everyone will be betrayed, me, you, Ava, even Terrence and his friends. No one will be an exception. All this stuff about 'us' taking over. There's no 'us,' there never was…only Ripclaw."

Ivonne and Ava were at a loss for words. Ava shook her head in disbelief, "But…But that's impossible! How's he gonna accomplish all that by himself?"

Silas leaned back in his chair, "Ah, but that's the thing. He won't be by himself…in a sense."

He took a small, phone sized computer out of his pocket. Searching through its images, he presented it to the three friends. On it was a display of some schematic sketches and notes for a machine. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.

Ollie squinted at the picture. "Huh, that almost looks like the cloning machine that T.U.F.F. once had," he remarked.

"Exactly," Silas replied. "The original device was destroyed after that "Rat Pack" incident with Snaptrap, as were the schematics. But Ripclaw somehow managed to salvage a few key internal pieces of the machine. Since then he, along with his top scientists, have worked aimlessly to extract information from those pieces and experiment with recreating the cloning device. From what I've heard, There's a chance they may actually succeed."

He retuned the device to his pocket, "And if they do, Ripclaw will then clone himself. Not ten clones or even a hundred…thousands! That's how he'll beat us, by turning those clones loose on us and all of Petropolis. That way he, and he alone would rule, while his clones would enforce his authority. Ripclaw alone would be hard to beat…but to have to face a thousand of him…"

He leaned back tiredly in his chair with a fateful sigh, "It doesn't even bear thinking about."

Everyone was stone silent at this morbid news. The plan…it was merely a cover up for an even more sinister plan. Ava and Ivonne were in total shock at this turn of events. Ollie slumped into the couch in utter disbelief. How much more surprises could one bloke take? He looked wearily at Silas. "How did you come to know all this?"

"One of Ripclaw's scientists told me," he explained, "Once I confirmed it was true, I began to plan myself. Then secretly and very, very carefully, I told other agents…only those I knew I could trust."

He settled more comfortably in his chair. "You see, not everyone wanted to be in that organization. There are a lot, like Ivonne and Ava, who were forced into it, even some of the scientists who work for Ripclaw, like the one who gave me this information. Myself? Ah, that's a long story. Anyways, they would be glad to bring Ripclaw down. Many were just as enraged as I am when they heard of this betrayal. To be forced to work for this creature and then be tossed aside. We've formed a sort of secret alliance against Ripclaw, gathering information, trying to figure out a way to stop him. That one scientist, and maybe one or two more of them who are with us, are trying to stall for now. But they can't keep it up forever and we can't do it by ourselves. We'll need help, that's why I had to test you, Ollie."

Ollie became alert as Silas explained, "Actually, I was a bit glad to hear that you and Ivonne felt for each other. You always seemed to be the most sensible of the D.O.O.M. agents; I figured it might make things easier for me."

"What do you mean?" Ollie asked.

"I wanted to, in time, to see if D.O.O.M. would help us," Silas answered, "You see, Ollie, we need all the help we can get even from a…pitiful organization such as D.O.O.M., no offense. There are actually some agents of ours who wouldn't believe that Ripclaw would betray us, and would try to stop us. Every little bit of help could end up being a great help. If push comes to shove, we may even have to resort to ask T.U.F.F. So you can see just how serious this is. But I still had to be sure of you, and that's why I had to put on that fight. I had to see how far you would go to protect Ivonne. I know now that I can count on you to eventually help get her and Ava out of that place."

He looked at Ava and Ivonne with a stern kindness. "I've always been a bit of a loner, and never had nor really wanted any children of my own. But, you two are probably the closest things to daughters that I'll ever have. I don't want either of you to get hurt."

Ava and Ivonne smiled fondly at Silas. He then turned to Ollie, "Can I count on you, Ollie?"

Ollie stared at Silas. He understood the seriousness of this whole situation. He looked at Ava and then Ivonne. The female opossum looked back at him expectantly. This just may be the answer to their problem. It was risky, but perhaps, with Silas on their side, Ivonne would be safe. He nodded resolutely.

"I'm in," he answered. The smile Ivonne gave him melted his heart.

"Excellent," Silas replied with a smile, "However, you mustn't say a word about this to Snaptrap or the other D.O.O.M. agents…not until we are absolutely sure it's alright and I say so."

Ollie scratched his head, "Snaptrap I understand, but not even Larry or Francisco?" Silas shook his head, "I'm afraid not, we can't risk it."

Ollie sighed, "I understand. So what do we do now?"

Silas smiled, "Actually, that's another thing I must speak to all of you about. I'm going to announce this at headquarters tomorrow. Ripclaw told me it's time to further advance our "partnership" with D.O.O.M. For now, our agents have just been working under the guise of "freelance henchman." But soon, we will send some of our agents over here to become "official" D.O.O.M. agents. The boss said it's a sort of "gift" for D.O.O.M., at least that's what he wants Snaptrap to believe. When the plan is set into motion, these agents are supposed to turn on D.O.O.M."

Ava raised an eye skeptically, "And how is that suppose to help us?"

Silas gave a sneaky grin, "Well, while Ripclaw told me certain specific agents that he wanted to join D.O.O.M., he gave me the job of choosing the rest. You see, he's always trusted my judgment, and that fact alone has been a great help for the resistance."

The three brightened up at this statement. Silas' smile grew wider, "So, many of the ones I'll be sending are those who are on the resistance team. And that includes you two." He looked at Ava and Ivonne as he finished the last sentence.

"Really?!" Both girls replied. Silas chuckled at their enthusiasm. "You'll be seeing Ollie a lot more now, Ivonne, and I'm certain the boss won't mind you being friendly with him. After all, he did want you to 'charm' him." He said the last remark with a sly wink. Ollie and Ivonne looked at each other with pure happiness.

"One thing though," Silas warned, "You won't know who's on the resistance team, and it's best if it stays that way for awhile. Don't try to find anything out, just act as if you know nothing for ?"

The three friends nodded, then Ava spoke, "What about Ripclaw? Does he suspect anything?"

"Not for the moment," Silas replied, "That's one good thing about that cloning machine he's working on. He's starting to become very focused on it. In fact, he's starting to let me handle most of the things for the plan. I suppose that's the advantage for working here so long. Still, we should be cautious." He glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. I'll explain more tomorrow, and keep you three updated as things progress. Ava, Ivonne, you two should head for your homes. Ivonne, I don't like the idea of you driving yourself home with that head injury. I'll drive you there myself, if that's alright."

"Sure," she replied.

Silas turned to Ollie. "You can download the protection to D.O.O.M's computers. It's a simple process, shouldn't be too hard to do."

Ollie nodded gratefully. Ivonne walked up to Silas and gave him a hug. "Silas, thank you," she said gratefully.

Silas stiffened up at first, then very slowly returned the hug. "Alright, alright, let's not get too sentimental. I have an image to maintain." Ivonne giggled then turned to Ollie. She gave him a warm, loving smile which made his stomach flip flop.

Silas noticed the look that passed between them and cleared his throat. "Ahem! Well, I suppose I should let you two say goodbye. Ava, come along."

"Aw, but…"

"Avaaa…"

"I'm comin', I'm comin'."

Ivonne and Ollie watched Ava and Silas leave, then looked at each other. For a moment, neither knew what to say. Ollie rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"So, um, I guess you're now an official D.O.O.M. agent, huh?"

Ivonne glanced shyly at the ground. "I suppose so," she said quietly.

Ollie shuffled his feet. "So…what now?"

Ivonne thought a moment. "Well, to celebrate my joining, how about a small picnic lunch in the park for two this weekend?" She smiled flirtatiously at him, "Just you and me."

Ollie gave a sheepish grin, "I…I'd like that," he said shyly. He began to rub his arm, trying to think of what else to say. "W-What about Terrence?"

"We can handle him," Ivonne replied, "Don't worry." She straightened the lapels on his suit. "And for the record, there's nothing between him and me, there never was. It was you. It was always you."

Ollie's smile grew even wider at that statement as his heart leaped for joy. He chuckled. "This was…this was some Valentine's Day, wasn't it? Oh! That reminds me!"

Ivonne watched curiously as Ollie reached into his suit. Her eyes widened as he drew out the same long stemmed red rose that he had given to her at the park earlier and presented it to her.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said with a shy grin. Ivonne gently took it from his hand. It was a little beaten from the fighting, but still lovely. She smiled as she stroked its petals.

"Oh,Ollie…"

"I-I'm afraid it's a little ragged now," Ollie remarked apologetically, "I can get you another one if…"

Ollie got no further. Ivonne had grabbed him by his suit lapels and was now giving him a great big passionate kiss. The kiss she had been wanting to give him for a long time. Ollie's face turned bright red…his head was in a whirl. After a few more seconds Ivonne released him, a radiant smile on her face. Ollie wobbled a bit, completely dazed from the unexpected kiss. A goofy, love struck expression formed on his face.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ollie," Ivonne cooed softly.

Ollie blinked happily and started to fall backward. "Brilliant," he sighed before completely passing out in pure bliss.

Ivonne giggled and gazed at the rose in her hands. Valentine's Day: a day of romance and love. It was because of this day that she was so miserable earlier. Yet, because of what happened, she had finally admitted her feelings for Ollie, and he admitted his feelings for her. And now, it was possible for them to be together. Yes, there was the detail of Ripclaw's betrayal, and no doubt Terrence would still be giving them a hard time, but strangely, it didn't seem to worry her so much now. With friends like Silas and Ava on her side, and Ollie right beside her, they just might succeed. She had an optimistic feeling that things were going to turn out alright. She sighed contentedly as she sniffed the ruby red rose.

_ I love Valentine's Day_.

THE END

* * *

**Yay, a happy ending!^^ Ollie and Ivonne really lucked out there didn't they? Yeah, the whole thing about Ripclaw's betrayal is a bummer, but at least they can be together now. **

**Didn't see that twist with Silas coming did ya?;)**

**So that concludes this story. I hoped you guys liked it. My next one will actually be a major one about Snaptrap and his siblings: Matt and Pat. It was inspired by the "Rat Trap" episode. Be on the lookout for it!**


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